Lost on Nourasia: An After Oban Story
by Marine Panda
Summary: Eva Wei was living the normal life with her father when she gets transported by strange forces to Nourasia. What at first appears to have no real reason actually is something far more important, especially if Eva is to ever go home again...
1. Chapter 1: Before Lost

This is my new story, which in itself be a series, of which this is the first part. I was having a few troubles about what to call this particular story so I picked this title. The pairing for this will be EvaxAikka, as well as two ocs. Please review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Oban Star Racers. OSR is (C) SAV! The World Productions.

Ch. 1 "Before Lost"

It was another day of school, with the same lessons being droned into her head like every day since…

The clock on the wall said soon she would get out of her class. Outside, birds called out occasionally. There was a buzzing noise as something landed on the window outside. It was a beetle of some sort crawling around on the glass. As she watched it, Eva was reminded of a certain Nourasian Prince and his own beetle, albeit a larger speciemen, far larger than any that had and would live on Earth. She had a wish at that moment to just run off with him and ride away on G'Dar. Eva wanted to fly again. It then flew off in a gust of wind that came suddenly. Eva turned back to the monitor in front of her and sighed.

Things certainly have changed, she said to herself.

It had been close to a year since the events at Oban, and the world was a changed place, at least for Earth. In the wake of the last major defensive against the Crogs, the Earth's military was still recovering from the work of the Avatar and a new vice-president had been elected to the office, a man known as Forte. In that time allotted, there had been a "funeral" for Jordan, the gunner who gave his life for her, although the ones who had been around him in his last days as a human were not allowed. In fact they had never been told of the funeral until at least three months afterwards. By then, Eva did not know how to react. It was though they had denied their existence. They had saved the entire galaxy and now where regulated to nothing.

After the Great Race of Oban, the Weis had redecorated their house, so it could accommodate both Don's and Eva's needs. It was modest, nothing too big, good enough for a father and daughter. Eva moved in completely, and settled in. As she had heard, Stan and Koji went back to working with Miguel on their new project, a more modified version of the Whizzing Arrow. Rick went back to his home town, saying that he was needed there. And Eva went back to school. Yes, a school again. Her opinion of school had not changed at all.

As she knew it, the world had changed for her most of all. She had missed Oban, the magic and the adventure that lurked around every corner. Now, on Earth, everything seemed more… mundane.

She missed everyone: Jordan, Koji, Stan, Rick, Rush, Muir… and Aikka.

Eva never truly confessed it, but she had actual feelings for the Prince and some for Jordan, though for some reason, she felt connected to Aikka. It was from the beginning that she felt it and she couldn't really explain it. It was like that time they first met, then that time they had shared under the tree in the rain…

The bell woke her out of her thoughts as she hurried out of the classroom, not worrying about the teacher yelling out tonight's assignment to her. She just wanted out.

After she had taken a number of items out of her locker and packed up her bag, Eva was ready to hurry out of the school for the weekend ahead.

It had to be raining on that day, at least in her mind, for this day.

This was the same day, about eleven long years ago, that her mother died in that fatal accident…

No, no, she was murder!

Eva had to remind herself of that truth, no matter how horrible it was. Her mother's life was taken away by a creature – a monster, a true monster named Canaletto who used her to get his throne back, so he may reign again as Avatar. Instead, he was stopped… by the most unlikely person in the universe, a gunner who gave her life for her.

In truth, Eva had to admit she had feelings for him, but if she had to tell him anything about her real feelings to him, she would've broken his heart. She was not in love with him, she wasn't ready to be in love with anyone.

But the Prince…

"We will meet again someday, as you must see my kingdom."

Eva kicked the jumpstart on her rocket seat, speeding away from the school as rain poured down around her.

She didn't even notice that she was heading in the wrong direction at that time.


	2. Chapter 2: The Ruins

Thanks for the reviews, everyone who has reviewed and read the first chapter. As a bonus, I'll put up the second chapter ahead of schedule, since I am palning to at least submit a chapter a week... nah, whenever I feel like it at least or whenever I have internet connection.

If anyone's wondering, this chapter takes place on Nourasia.

Ch. 2 "The Ruins"

Aikka swam through the small lagoon created by an ancient arena of some sort. Vines crawled all over the masonry and the reliefs carved in it from long ago. As soon as he reached a stone ledge, the Nourasian Prince stopped and heaved himself onto the ledge, smiling as he did so. He was wearing a short kilt-like garment, and bandages over his calves, his regular clothes situated within a shell pouch with G'Dar. Speaking of his beetle, G'Dar was somewhere else, eating some plants or fruit in the area outside of the mini lagoon, but he could feel the strains of the beetle's mental relationship as he started across the walkway.

The sun shone, lighting up a huge complex, ancient and far older than any that Aikka had been told of. Stones of blue and green had been used as well as a yellowish one that looked almost like soft gold in the sunlight.

"Wonderful," he said to himself, as he reached to his side belt and pulled a notepad from a water-proof pouch made from the shell of some small beetle-like creature, bearing the symbol of his royal house. He sat down in front of a large mural depicting an epic battle between two opposing creatures. Although the paint had been dulled somewhat by the sun and the heat, vibrant reds and blues showed true against the stone.

Aikka pulled out a brush and dipped it into a sealed ink bottle inside of the shell pouch. He carefully made swift strokes, capturing the creatures, one a bird with great wings like a sunset, and another, a strange bird like monster which had locked itself in combat with the sunset bird. Unlike the other bird, this monster bird was made up of what seemed to be white metal, sharp and rigid in comparision to the lively sunset bird.

As he was drawing the birds in combat, Aikka became absorbed, hearing only the sound of brush against the rough paper and his own breathing. In fact he was not aware of something that had been watching him from the algae coated lagoon. It starred at him with one yellowish crocodilian eye and afterwards dove under the surface. A shadow moved towards him swiftly.

All the while, Aikka sat there, busily making sure he got the two birds right. He wasn't fully aware of much, until a low rumble behind him caught his attention. Aikka's elven ears perked up in alarm. There was no time to turn and face his adversary. Without any other thought, Aikka leapt up just as a large crocodilian beast nearly snapped him up in its huge jaws. He landed some distance away, not too far enough, since the crocodilian creature moved swiftly behind him and tried to snap him up again in its huge maw.

"Good gods," he cried as it lumbered towards him.

The Nourasian prince was no stranger to danger, all of his life, he had been trained to fight and move with the ease of a panther. In sort, Aikka knew he should not have been idling his mind away in an area like this when he was in very dangerous part of the rainforest.

The lowlands where a number of very interesting ruins where located also happened to be home to large crocodans, poisonous insects, flesh-eating plants and algae, panthers and wild dogs, as well as the various natural hazards that most Nourasians knew better than to fall victim to. But in the depths of the rainforest was where Aikka felt most free from being a prince.

The only other time was when he was with the Earth girl, Molly…

A loud and low growl woke him up just in time to dodge the crocodan's snapping jaws. Over a hundred fangs shaped like daggers flashed across his vision. Aikka landed, but his balance was off. He fell backwards into the water of the lagoon, sinking into the depths. The crocodan slipped easily into the water, after his prey.

Truth was Aikka was a good swimmer, but not good enough to fight underwater very well. Aikka was out of his true element and the crocodan was now in its home.


	3. Chapter 3: Being Spirited Away

**A/N: The title of this chapter is inspired by my favorite anime movie, Spirited Away. It's a wonderful movie and won an Oscar for best animated movie of the year, and it is really great so if you haven't seen it, do so!**

**In other news, this is my next new chapter until I update next week, at least until I get the fourth chapter done. So please enjoy.**

Ch. 3 "Being Spirited Away"

It wasn't until she saw that the pavement had turned to dirt that Eva realized she was in the forested area that was around her home.

I'm lost, she thought to herself angrily.

The rain poured down a bit harder. Eva stopped the rocket seat and parked it under a large tree. She stood there for a while, watching the rain pour down around her. Rain danced upon the fern fronds around her feet, on the moss covered stones, and in the branches of the great tree she sat under. For a spare moment, she felt like there was someone else by her, someone she hadn't seen in a year…

"_It has been an unfortunate day…"_

"Yeah," she said to the person next to her, "for both of…"

Quickly Eva turned… to see the misty world beyond the branches. The person she had thought she had seen was never there in the first place. A part of her felt sad inside as she bowed her head.

All around her the rain poured down, making the world a little lonelier than before.

Suddenly, Eva felt a breeze. It seemed odd, out of place at the time. She was going to wrap the jacket she had on around her more when she realized that the wind itself was not really cold and accompanied by the sound of … birds? And not any kind of birds, certainly not the sparrows in the forest but some other bird, something alien.

Eva turned her head to the side only to be caught full on in the wrath of a wind stronger than anything she had felt before. She had to shield herself as the wind blew leaves and debris all around her in full fury, howling, no, roaring like some kind of force that she had experience before in her entire life.

_Maybe except for…_

She looked up for a moment and saw that the world around her, with the winds blowing and buffeting around her was glowing blue and white, with strange markings and sigils floating around her.

_I've seen this before_, she thought to herself as the sigils started to warp and spun around her like some kind of tornado of light. Eva nearly cried when she felt her body start to lift into the air.

Before she knew what was going on, Eva Wei fell into a steady darkness accompanied by bright light.

* * *

Aikka broke the surface of the water, gasping for air. The crocodan before him was surfacing as well, albeit more swiftly than he was. He clutched at an open wound, caused by the crocodan's tail as it whipped past him in the water.

_Good gods_, he said to himself winching a little as the crocodan made a rumbling noise. _I hope you don't have any friends out there…_

He looked across the lagoon. It was circular without much in the way of escape since this place used to be an arena. The water was deep in many parts owing to the structure of the place. All in all though, the crocodan had it easy; more places for it to trap Aikka and less places for Aikka to actually swim away or gain an advantage. He continued searching for a place to get out of the crocodan's way. There were hardly any ledges or footholds for him to climb out of there.

I'm trapped, he said to himself.

All of a sudden, there was a very loud pop in the air above the arena. For a moment Aikka and the crocodan looked up to see a shape appear in the sky. The shape stood suspended for a moment until it started descending down towards the arena. At first it didn't look like much but as it got closer, Aikka could see what it was:

"MOLLY!?!"

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4: Awakening on a New World

**A/N: I haven't even begun my fifth chapter! There's a lot of people who wanted to get away from cliff-hanger ending of last chapter so here we go! Sorry for keeping everyone waiting.**

Ch. 4 "Awakening on a New World"

The body of Eva Wei fell like a stone towards the deepest part of the waterlogged arena. Both Aikka and the crocodan quickly swam over to the falling girl. Neither did reach her in time when she fell into the water, causing a large splash and waves that smashed against the masonry. Aikka gasped.

_Please don't be hurt_, he said to himself when he saw Eva slowly sink under the surface.

The crocodan was heading towards the girl in the water very quickly, faster than Aikka would ever achieve. Noticing that, Aikka stopped and placed his hands together in a prayer like position, and uttered a spell:

"_Oon sekai shallanar!_"

He shoved his hands underwater and a huge violet bubble appeared. It sped with the speed of a prayer and overtook the crocodan to encapsulate the Earth girl. For a moment, everything was still: Eva was floating in her encapsulating bubble, the crocodan was on his belly since he was upset by the wave caused by the spell, and Aikka was just a floating head above the surface of the water, trying to put his head around the various reasons, the why and how's of his Earth Princess being on Nourasia.

This was however interrupted by the crocodan righting himself up again and the fact that Aikka had to retrieve Eva out of the water before the crocodan could get to her. Aikka dove under the water and swam towards the bright violet bubble as fast as he could manage. The crocodan was about to overtake Aikka when he uttered another spell, "_Oon_ _sekai shallanar!_" causing another wave of violet against the crocodan as he went past it. He tried swimming past the creature but even now he felt his body start to tire and the wound on his side was protesting even though he was desperately trying to ignore it. Using all of that magic was draining him of energy. Even now his arms were moving a bit sluggishly as he neared the violet bubble.

Inside, Eva seemed to rest in a pocket of air. Thankfully she would not drown. Aikka smiled softly but realized he was in deep trouble. Turning around he saw the crocodan rocking in the water, upside down. During that time, he felt like he needed to call for G'Dar.

_Come G'Dar!_ He cried mentally. _I need you here immediately!_

Along with that he sent a mental picture of the area.

_Come G'Dar_, he cried mentally, _come now before it's too late…_

At first all she felt was cold, like she had been thrown into the furthest depths of the ocean. She couldn't breathe or scream.

But something happened and brought her out of the darkness, she wasn't sure what it was, but it felt like an encompassing bubble, a shield to protect her.

Her eyes started to open when she heard sounds of rumbling and splashing around her. As her eyes adjusted to the light and the environment, she started to become conscious of a few things. One was that she was soaked to the bone as though she had been in a body of water. Another was the fact that she fully realized she was not in the misty forest anymore, but somewhere more tropical. But not Earth, she was sure of it. And another thing was that she was floating in a violet bubble of light surrounded by water that was covered a bit by greenish algae. After realizing that she could move freely in her new environment, Eva rolled in the air to get a better view of everything. Around her the water jerked and splashed around her. There was a shape on one side of the bubble. Immediately she knew who that was.

"Ai-Aikka?" she cried.

The figure must've heard her, for he turned to meet her gaze on the other side of the bubble.

"Molly!" Prince Aikka cried, although his voice was somewhat muffled by the bubble.

Eva smiled at the use of her old alias from the race of Oban. But then she realized there was something nagging her.

"Ai-Aikka?" she asked, "what's going on? Where am I?"

He was going to answer when they both reacted to a large rumbling. Aikka suddenly swam underneath the bubble. A huge shape appeared to Eva's right and bowled into the bubble, but did not break it. She cried out and shielded her face with her arms. The bubble moved erratically with the force of the wave that hit it. After being tossed around for a while, Eva uncovered her face to see what she had been attacked by. She gasped.

Before her was a large crocodilian creature with a wide open mouth filled with dagger shaped fangs. To her, it had to have been the size of an elephant, but with yellow-green skin. Currently it was trying to get at her. It bumped its head against the bubble once more until it seemingly got bored and swam off under her.

I'm safe, she thought until she peered underneath her.

Below her, a shape darted away from the huge bulk of the crocodilian creature.

"AIKKA!!!" she cried as she pressed herself against the surface of the bubble. Eva pounded her fist at the surface, but could not penetrate it or break it. Aikka swam before her again and then stopped to face her. He pressed his hand against the surface and then his forehead. Eva pressed her hand against his, and found herself hearing a voice, his voice.

"Keep in there," he said in her head, "don't worry about me."

He smiled and swam off as the crocodan swam after him. Eva floated back as she saw the huge creature swim past her. She wrapped her arms around her.

I hate being helpless, she said to herself as she watched through the murky water and the violet bubble at what was happening before her.

Aikka seemed to be quick in the water, but not as fast as the crocodan. Every so often he tried to veer the creature towards something she could not see in the distance. She tried to search for this object but found herself stationary; the bubble itself could not move.

Eva lowered her head, but something caused her to jerk it up suddenly. There was a reverbed screech that echoed inside of the bubble. A shadow moved overhead and the familiar hum of wings caused her to cry out in joy.

"G'Dar!"

The giant beetle hovered above the water unwilling to descend any further than a few feet above the surface. A creature his size might have some trouble swimming or keeping buoyant, Eva surmised as G'Dar hovered close up to Aikka and the crocodan. For a moment, from the haze inside of the bubble, Eva could not understand what was going on, but then she saw a shape leapt to the back of the flying beetle and the yellow-green shape of the crocodan rear up. The beetle veered to one side, avoiding the huge creature and started towards her. Eva was not sure what was going to happen but as soon as the beetle came at least a few feet from her, she felt the bubble around her burst. Water poured in around her. She struggled against the engulfing water but was overwhelmed by the oncoming water. Eva tried to swim up, throwing one arm up… Only to have someone else grab it for her. She was pulled right out of the water by a strong arm, and onto a steady surface. Within seconds she was brought up as the beetle under her started to fly off. Aikka held her in his arms as they flew off towards a clump of trees.

**To be continued...**


	5. Chapter 5:The Arrival at the City

**Sorry about the long wait. I was trying to get this done and then my zipdrive died on me so I lost some work there. However, I got this done just before Finals. My Art History Final is in a few days, and I won't be here for a long time, perhaps a new chapter will come up at the end of January, who knows? I am working on the sixth chapter at the moment so please try to be kind. I can only update when I get the time.**

Ch. 5 "The Arrival at the City"

Eva did not let go not even for a moment as they flew past the lagoon, past clumps of trees. She did not look up even as they past into an area noticeably different from what she had seen before.

Aikka on the other hand did not let her go, but held her closely to himself so she wouldn't fall out of G'Dar's saddle as they flew into one of the large stables used primarily for beetles. When they stopped, Aikka looked up, seeing that there was no one around looked down at the Earth girl in his arms, still clutching him. He was surprised that he had not noticed this before but wasn't deterred that much as he looked down at her.

"Erm, Molly?" he said, breaking the silence.

Eva nearly fell out of the saddle when she heard him. She looked around and then turned to him.

"Where… am … I?" she asked slowly, as she started to realize she was not in the proverbial Kansas anymore.

Aikka looked at her confused, but suddenly replied.

"Forgive me," he said, trying to get composed after realizing he had been impolite, "I have been quite rude…" he looked over to see a few beetles, each one about the same size as the Whizzing Arrow III, "this is the beetle stable. It's located so Nourasian kn-"

"No," she said, "Where am I? Is this-"

"Yes," he replied, "this is Nourasia."

"Not Earth?"

"Not Earth."

"But how did I…?"

"That's what I was wondering as well." Aikka's tone had turned serious when he said this. "However, now is not the moment."

Eva looked around, peering at the giant beetles stirring in their allotted spaces. She noticed that unlike a horse stable on Earth, there were no gates to keep the beetles in, rather ropes with little decorations of crystal and metal that seemed far too flimsy to hold back a five ton insect. The stables where not built, rather they seemed to have been hollowed out from the stone that made up the entire structure. She suddenly wished she had examined the entire structure from the outside, but she was interrupted in her thoughts when Aikka placed her gently on the saddle of his beetle and jumped down from the saddle. G'Dar made a squealing noise, as Eva started down his back and slid towards Aikka. The Prince seemed rather calm, despite the situation.

"You will need to hide for right now," he said, "or at least get some dry clothes and rest."

Even after a swift flight, Eva's clothes, consisting of a purple quarter sleeved shirt and faded jeans where still wet and smelt of pond water. She made a face as she looked over them.

"I guess," she said, unable to think up anything else.

"Fine," he said smiling, "you may stay in my room until I can find a way…"

"A way for what?" she asked, "I just fell out of the sky, what's going on here?"

"Prince! Prince Aikka is that you?"

Both of them stiffened as the voice continued in the distance. It was a familiar one, that of the old Fencing Master who had accompanied Aikka during the Great Race. Aikka moved in front of Eva, trying to cover for her, although he probably wasn't helping much. The voice slowly became more distant when another voice seemingly called out to the Fencing Master, stopping him just in time, at least for the two trying to hide in the stables.

Aikka took a deep breath and then gently took Eva by the hand.

"Molly," he said, looking at her "we must go now."

The Prince moved with the silent skill of a panther through a hallway, or rather as Eva saw it with her own eyes, a walkway overlooking the rainforest. The walkway was old, made of bamboo poles stuck into the side of what appeared to be a large mountain, with planks covered in old moss and vines. She was close to the trees enough so she could touch them. There was a flower, bright fuchsia that she had wanted to examine more closely, but Aikka pulled her into a verandah covered in thick old vines that curled like monkey tails when they hung. He then led her into a room, where he let her hand go and started to rummage through a set of drawers he had pulled out from the wall. Eva upon the other hand didn't seem to mind, as she looked around the room in awe and wonder.

Before her was a large room, with hangings of cloth decorated with swirling letters. Images of lively animals had been painted on boarders on the walls in bright and lively colors. Cubbyholes in the walls held certain items: in one there were arrows, ready for their heads, another had a small ink box and some brushes, and yet another had a few scrolls. On the floor was a rug made of woven grasses, kinda like the tapa cloth she had once seen in a museum exhibit during a school field trip, with the recognizable swirling motif of Nourasian culture displayed on it in indigo. A bed, being mostly a cot with a colorful blanket and a white pillow on it had been made and was set up in a corner, ready for night, when it came. On the walls, hanging from two appropriated hooks, was a bow and a quiver, ready for use and a hook for Aikka's dagger, which Eva now remembered, had been reduced to dust by Canaletto on Oban.

She was about to reminisce, when she heard the song of a bird nearby. Eva looked around to find herself face to multiple faces of several multicolored finch like birds who merely hoped off of their respectable perches on a small tree which grew from the floor of Aikka's room and flew around her. She tried to shield her face from their tiny wings when she noticed that there were other animals surrounding her as well. A small ferret like animal let out a squeak as it looked up at her, while a creature that looked like a tiger cub made a little growl and brushed against her legs. Another like a rabbit with spotted fur and a long cat-like tail hoped up to her and a wolf-like creature wagged his tail in reply. A large moth, the size of a dinner plate landed on her head and started to wave its wings without a moments' care. More animals started to come up to her, when she realized that they weren't hurting her at all.

"I guess they found a friend," Aikka said suddenly, causing Eva to disturb the resting moth. He was standing before her with a folded article in his hands.

"They- they're your pets?" she asked.

"Pets?" he said, as though unfamiliar with the word itself, "I guess, they're my friends actually. And they normally hide whenever someone comes over."

He held the folded item to her, just as two of the multicolored birds came to perch upon his shoulders. She took it and then unfolded it, revealing a long kimono like robe.

"I didn't have anything else befitting a lady," he said, in his own modest way, "so this is the closest. I'll try to find something a little more appropriate, Molly."

She was going to correct him when he went behind a screen to change out of his clothes. Eva realized that he too needed to change and waited for him to get done before she could get into her own, well at least, procured garment for the time being. She suddenly remembered that he had been wearing only some bandages and a kilt-like garment when he had rescued her from the crocodile thing. After a while, he looked out from behind the screen.

"You can get dressed once I'm done," he said, "I don't think there will be anyone coming around to bother me at this moment since everyone apparently doesn't think I'm in my room at the moment."

He pulled his head behind the screen and continued talking.

"If you want, you can rest in my room," he said, "my bed is in a corner there."

She looked over her shoulder and saw the cot with the multicolored blanket on top. One his "pets", the ferret-like creature had leapt upon the bed and was rolling on the blanket. Eva smiled when she saw this.

He came out from behind the screen, dressed in the simple garment she had seen him wear during the Great Race. His hair was being tied into his regular triple Mohawk topknots she had always remembered seeing him in. As he started on his way out of the room, he was greeted by two of the finches who sat on his left shoulder.

"I will be back," he said with a bow.

Before she could ask anymore though, he left the room and slid the door shut behind him. A part of her wanted to go out and explore, but then she realized something that she had read once in a book.

In Dol, if that was where she was on at the moment, no foreigners were allowed. It was a sacred, holy city. Her hand stayed at the door for a moment before she went and changed out of her wet clothes into the kimono like robe she had been given.

From what she was given it was far simpler than a regular Earth kimono. For one, there wasn't much of an obi to fit around the waist and it was made of some kind of material, she was sure it was not silk but something soft. The waist tie was simple but quite wide, like a sash. It was a cream color not really anything else with a few embellishments like that of the Nourasian swirling arabesques that she had seen before. When she had gotten herself in the clothes, she laid her wet ones on a rack to dry while she fallowed Aikka's advice and nestled into the cot. The pad covering it was soft, making Eva wonder for just a moment what was filling it. However, as the finches started to make their way onto the verandah to flock around and sing, she was lulled into a deep sleep.

Perhaps, she thought, if I wake up, it will be a dream.

However, as she was about to fall asleep she felt something in the sash of her kimono. Eva stood up in the cot and looked down to see something blue-green poking out from under the sash. She pulled it out and examined it.

It looked like some kind of mirror, though she was certain it was not made out of glass. Her head felt groggy as she looked a little more at the mirror, shaped like an oblong disk in her hand.

Maybe it is some kind of dream, she thought.

**To be continued...**


	6. Chapter 6: A Very Rude Awakening

**A/N: I'm finally back after weeks of non-activity and let me tell you, I have a lot in sort for you. Sorry about the long delay and thank you for all the comments, I even got a pretty long critique, which helps some for my writing. And as for this chapter in particular we will be introduced to one of the first ocs of my story, who is different from the Nourasian Ocs we are usually given, at least in my opinion. I will try to update every two weeks or sooner, if I have finished two chapters.**

**Talking about this chapter, it actually took me a long time to write this one, so I hope you guys enjoy this much.**

Ch. 6 "A Very Rude Awakening"

"Prince! Prince Aikka!"

A very tall Nourasian woman was striding down the outer hallway which looked down upon the city below the monadnock that the Celestial Wind Palace sat upon, calling out for Aikka. She wore a net chain shirt under her simple racing gear and leather armor, her sword swinging at her side and her composite bow in her right hand. A band made of leather and bronze lay on her forehead, telling of her profession; her hair was tied back in a brown-white ponytail. Truth be told, she was much younger than the Fencing Master, but she aged all the same.

She stopped at the railing, just in time to see Aikka running down to met his parents in the throne room. The female Nourasian Knight merely let out a sigh and turned back to going down to the lower level where her young charge was.

"Lady Thuy," said a gruff but well known voice behind her. "What a pleasant surprise."

"For the last time, Master Canaan," she said, turning around with a hand upon her hip, "I am NOT a courtesan, I am a Knight. Address me as Master Thuy."

The old Fencing Master smiled and shrugged.

"The Prince is back?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, "did you happen to meet him on the way here?"

"No," said Canaan. "I was only inferring his whereabouts."

Thuy rolled her eyes.

"Typical," she said. "I suggest we go see to him."

With that she walked right by the confused Fencing Master down to the lower level via a staircase carved into the stone. Canaan watched her for a moment before realizing where she was going.

"Hey!" he called out to her.

His Majesty was at the moment, in a mix of anger, worry, and disappointment, all aimed towards his son, who at the moment was trying to hide the fact that he had been out in the jungle by himself and no other guardian, and had been nearly killed by a crocodan. The Prince, his son, and his only child was standing before him, his hair wet and tangled and dripping upon the stone floor. A soft breeze came in, ruffling the hanging canopy of banners with Ancient Nourasian written in indigo ink on them. Prince Aikka wrapped his arms around himself, feeling the cool breeze very strongly due to the fact that he was still wet and had no time to dry himself while he was with…

"Prince Aikka, my son," said King Lao after a brief moment of pause, "you have disobeyed me and endangered yourself while entering the forbidden lands of the rainforest. As you have already confessed to me, you ran into a crocodan and nearly killed yourself! What have I done to allow yourself to foolhardy thrown yourself in such dangerous situations?"

"Father, King!" Aikka protested, "I had G'Dar with me there was no danger inherent at first. The ruins of the arena normally don't-"

"And you came upon the ruins," said the King, scowling at the young Prince. "A place I have once and again told you NOT to enter, but again you have disobeyed orders from your father and from your king! As a Knight of Nourasia I thought you would know better than to act so recklessly…"

"Father!"

King Lao stood up from the throne, almost doubled in size in comparison to Aikka.

"You have been very disobedient, up to the point of causing your parents and kingdom grief, as well as endangering your entire planet. I thought you knew better."

At that moment, Queen Nori came in, her odango styled ponytails swaying as she moved forward with two attendants on either side of her. She at first had her face in the sunny expression of a smile, but as soon as she saw her husband and her son, it became dark and sorrowful. Sadness crept upon her face, which she quickly turned away. Aikka noticed that and hung his head.

Why does everything I do hurt someone I care for, he thought to himself.

"Your Radiance," said Master Thuy bowing before the king, lowering herself to one knee. Behind her, Fencing Master Canaan did likewise, placing a fist over his heart as he did so.

King Lao merely nodded and beckoned the two to rise from their original position.

"Lady Thuy," said King Lao, "please escort the young prince to the training grounds, like where he was supposed to be this morning."

Master Thuy was about to correct him, but knowing she could not do that in front of everyone (and especially to the king!), shut her mouth and beckoned Aikka to her side. They were almost out of the room, when Aikka heard his father speak to Canaan.

"Master Canaan," he said, "check up on Aikka's room and see if he has brought anything back. If he has brought back a relic from the ruins, you must take it away-"

"But father!" Aikka protested, "I have not taken anything from the ruins. I can assure you that!"

"So quick to respond," said King Lao, "that seems suspicious my son, how do I know for sure that you didn't take anything at all from the ruins." He turned to Canaan. "Search his room."

Aikka felt a horrible sweat coming upon him.

Molly was still there… If they found out…

"Please, father, - I!"

King Lao stood before his son.

"It sounds like you are hiding something," he said, "Lady Thuy, I am so sorry to interrupt anything, but may the Prince be taken to his room, so we may find what he has hiding in there?"

Thuy bowed.

"As you wish, your Radiance," she said, though inside, she felt like trying to protest. Canaan, still watching also felt that urge, though he felt some suspicion when his prince had acted like that.

What could be so damnably important to hide from his father, he thought.

Eva rolled over a bit in her bed, trying to remember where she was at the moment. The bed she was on was not her own, but for some reason she didn't think much of it at the moment. As she opened her eyes a crack, she thought she could see someone who looked familiar…

Canaan went inside of the room, making the finches pecking on Aikka's floors scatter and a little creature that looked like a coati in blue scramble out of a corner. He made a small face, remembering all of Aikka's "pets". At first nothing looked too obviously amidst in his room, but then he saw them.

On a rack normally used to hang Aikka's armor for the night, lay some very odd looking clothes. They consisted of a pair of trousers made of some tough but pliable cloth of a blue that faded sharply at the knees. A shirt was above the pants and seemed to be made of a very soft material. It was a purple color that was akin to the magnificent twilight hours of the night, with some kind of flower motif on the lower side. He saw some very odd looking tabi and shoes made of a combination of rough cloth and a hard material he knew did not exist here. He pulled himself away from the rack and an idea slowly became apparent in his head.

Behind him Prince Aikka had entered, and was starring in horror at the drying clothes. Canaan looked at his charge, giving him an accusing stare.

He had seen this before, but who it was he could not remember quite a well…

Suddenly a quite coo from the cot where Aikka slept made everyone stop and turn to see…

At first all that was apparent was a head of black topped by red but slowly a face emerged, with two sleepy red eyes. Canaan came upon the cot and looked down.

"Molly no…" Aikka whispered.

Eva could see a blurred face. She closed her eyes again and focused. However when her sight came into focus, she could see a face, a Nourasian face yes, but not Aikka's face.

At that moment, she gasped and pulled herself away as the Fencing Master starred at her. She was halfway aware that there were more people in the room, looking over the shoulder of the Fencing Master she saw Aikka looking horrified, and then a very tall Nourasian woman in something resembling the racing outfit of Aikka though it was underlined with mail armor she had seen in an ninja movie before as well as a large Nourasian male wearing the same crown as Aikka's but with long ears that seemed lagomorphic in ideal. This same Nourasian male had an expression that told Eva he was most displeased… with her most of all.

She was about to jump out when she felt a burning stinging pain as the Fencing Master pulled her out of Aikka's bed by her hair, out onto the floor where she heard the sounds of displeasure and confusion coming from the Nourasian's at the doorway. Eva tried to scream, but she was silenced once she saw a glint of silver at the corner of her eye. Then she stood very still as she heard four voices, one of the Fencing Master, one of the Prince, that of the female, and the other of the large Nourasian speak, but not in English. What came to her ears was not like anything she had heard before on Earth.

"How… Prince Aikka I am not only very disappointed in you… I am greatly ashamed," said King Lao, as he pointed to the now captive Earth girl being held in the Fencing Master's grip. "To bring an outsider, a Human of all beings into the Holy City, into the Celestial Wind Palace itself, is not only endangering the kingdom but the Heart of Nourasia itself. If she knew… What if she is a spy?"

"Does she look a spy?" Aikka asked, remembering how his Fencing Master had said more or less the same thing a long time ago.

"Whether or not she is a spy," said Master Thuy, "it is strictly forbidden to allow a Human inside of the Holy City, especially not after what they did…"

"Tried to do…" corrected Canaan, still holding the young woman down while keeping his katana level to her eyesight. She seemed to be still, which made Canaan pleased since the katana he was holding in one hand was getting heavy in his grip. He was not used to wielding it in one hand and it was originally designed to be held in two, like with all swords he was used to.

"What matters, my son is that you have disobeyed me, you have allowed a potentially dangerous outsider into your company," said King Lao. "This must be dealt with swiftly."

"My king," said Canaan.

"You may proceed Master Canaan."

"This girl, she is similar in appearance to the pilot of the Earth team during the Great Race of Oban," said Canaan as he peered at the young woman, "if I am not deceived, it is the same girl!"

King Lao inhaled sharply. Prince Aikka looked at his father.

"Do not-!"

"My son," said King Lao, "you have allowed this rival, an enemy of the kingdom into your heart?" He turned to Canaan again. "She is a spy," he said to the white-haired fencing master. "Deal with her quickly."

"On the contrary, your Radiance," said Canaan. "If it had not been for this young Earth girl, the Prince, your son, would not have been able to win the final selection for the Great Race. In fact, he owes his very life-"

"That is enough," said the King. "She is from the Human's world, and she has entered the Holy City without any kind of permission-"

"My permission!" protested Aikka.

"I have allowed you too much freedom, and you have become spoiled by my allowance," the King continued. "First it was your wish to explore the outer forests, then knighthood and the mastery of your magic, things that are disallowed by our laws concerning the Royal Family. The race, which I forbade you to enter, when there were others so much more talented than you, such as Lady Thuy here, risking your own life to save your kingdom when you are the only heir to the throne? And now this! This young woman, not just any woman, but an Earth girl, a rival from the Great Race, an enemy possibly a spy sent to destroy! Are you mad my son?"

"I just wanted a friend," said the Prince, his head and voice low.

"As for the Race," said Thuy, "as you must remember my Radiance, I was severely injured and could not join the Prince. And was it not the Crogs who asked for the Prince to participate and not the Prince himself?"

"Yes," nodded Aikka. "The General Kross asked for me personally… and under pain of death. As you probably must remember father, the others eligible for the race had… met with unfortunate circumstances. Master Thuy, my teacher, was one of the lucky ones in that she survived."

King Lao signaled his son to stop and then waved to Canaan. The Fencing Master nodded and raised the katana up a little. The Earth girl in his grasp saw it and made a whimpering noise. Lao looked at the girl as she did so and made a face of disgust.

"A cowardly creature," said King Lao. "Her death will be swift."

"No father, you can't!" Aikka rushed to Eva, too fast for his father to fully realize what was going on, and accidentally bumped into Canaan. The old Fencing Master lost his balance and fell on his back, his heavy katana knocked from his grasp. The Earth girl was thrown backward but was freed from the Fencing Master. She did not hesitate. As soon as she felt herself free, she made a mad dash past the startled Nourasians and out the room.

Oh my God.

Eva did not look back. She did not care for looking back, as she could hear or rather felt was a strange voice, familiar in her head telling her "GO MOLLY!"

She was quite sure it was Aikka's voice telling her so, but she did not care for the moment as she startled maids and servants walking past her. Her bare feet pounded the half wood, half stone floors, down a sunlit corridor where she felt the warm of the sun on her, drying her up from the plunge in the water of the lagoon. At that moment, Eva was only semi-aware of where she was going; she had never been in this place before nor had she ever read any description of it in any text she tried to get her hands on while on Earth. She was utterly lost.

Tried and out of breath, Eva stopped for a moment and took a glance around, trying to get a bearing, or at least a feel for the place. She looked at her clothing, the kimono her friend had given her and tied in a little more around her. As she finished the sash, Eva felt again the little mirror like object and pulled it out. It was like as before, oval shaped and flat with a decorated edge. It was made from a blue-green stone, not glass as she had suspected before, something like jade but the surface from which it should reflect was so smooth that she could see her face like that in the ocean itself. The edges was decorated with that of swirling shapes and strange flying fish and what looked like rather fanciful dolphins and Asian styled dragons twisting and turning around the reflective surface. There was a green silken cord that was attached to small holes at each side of the mirror for hanging that she had not noticed before. As she looked into it, she became aware that she did not see herself in the surface anymore, but something else. There were shapes in the darkness, like figures on two, four and six legs. Wings of lace, feather, skin, and crystal fluttered across the surface. Eyes, like cat's, like human's, like a doe's, like a hawk's came across the surface with one, seemingly made of ruby stared up at her.

Eva Wei. Call for me when you are ready.

I did hear that, she thought to herself, didn't I?

Eva looked at the mirror again.

Nothing but the ocean-like surface starred up at her.

"There she is!" cried a voice, though she was certain that it was not in her language. However, she could understand it.

She turned around to see a tall Nourasian male in leather armor come into the sunlight with more than a couple of other Nourasians, both male and female, each holding either a short sword or a pole weapon in hand. He turned to see her and made a snarl.

Eva tried to suppress a scream as she ran down the corridor and into a garden like area were stone and wood turned into soil. Being barefooted, the soil felt like a relief after trying to stamp across cold and hard stone. She started across a misty area, going over a patch of moss and into a creek going through a heavily vegetated place. Splashing out of the creek, Eva came into another heavily vegetated area, though it was filled with plants she thought she would find in a rainforest rather than in a palace.

What kind of place is this, she thought as she came into a small clearing where the sun came down towards her.

As she walked another step she was suddenly caught by surprise when a hand reached out from the cover of some feathery looking ferns and took her down to the ground.

"Master Yamda, I have her!" cried a voice, coming from a young Nourasian with chopped brownish hair holding her.

"Lemme go!" she cried and tried to swat the boy away.

The young Nourasian was quick and dodged the blow, and placed her in a lock as from all around, half a dozen or so guards (at least she believed they were guards, they might've been something else, she wasn't so acquainted with the court to know much) surrounded her. Two more pairs of hands held her down by her shoulders, as she was roughly made to look up at the face of the approaching King of Nourasia, a woman who appeared to be the Queen, and…

"Molly," Prince Aikka said quite softly, "I'm sorry."

To be continued...

**Here are some clairifying notes:**

A Monadnock is a word that describes a particular earth form which consists of a singular monolithic structure like a hill or mountain in a flat landscape. Another word you might've heard describing it is inselberg, which is the German word for this structure. Monadnock is the term most often used in the US.


	7. Chapter 7: A moment of realization

**A/N: I don't know if this seems too short or anything, but I couldn't keep Eva/Molly hanging off the cliff (figuratively speaking) forever, so I had to update now. I've had this up for a long time now in my documents, but I didn't have the time to upload this. Oh and thank you four people who keep reviewing this, I really wish people would review this story a lot more, because this helps me write. So if you are going to read this, please leave a review. However, plagurism is unexcepted!**

Ch. 7 "A Moment of Realization"

"Keep her down," said King Lao. "This is to be clean and swift. No outsider of the worlds beyond the Three Moons shall enter Dol and leave alive. That is the law and the code of the Holy City."

Eva was laid down on a stone block. She tried to squirm out of the grasp of the ropes tying her down as well as two guards.

Canaan, the Fencing Master slowly drew out his katana, which seemed to glitter in the sunlight.

The three royals sat before her on three thrones made from twisting bronze and some kind of precious stone of blue. At least there should've been three, but one was missing. The throne that should have had Aikka on it was empty. All of this was in an open courtyard, surrounded by high walls with ferns and vines growing up them. The royals where not alone; from carved out windows and porches, maids, servants, guards, knights, and nobles stood around, watching the entire thing with some interest.

Perhaps they have never seen a human before, she thought. Or maybe this is some kind of entertainment… No, that wouldn't be right. Aikka said the Nourasians were a peaceful people; they wouldn't enjoy watching a defenseless girl getting killed…

"Now, intruder," the King said, "you have trespassed on sacred ground, entered a place not your's and wear clothing that is also not your's-"

"If you would allow me to explain," cried Eva as one of the guards holding her pushed her head down to the stone block. "Prince Aikka gave this to me because my clothes were wet! And another thing-"

"SILENCE!" The King scowled at her. Clearly he was infuriated at the fact that a young Human had entered the palace. "The fact is that you have come upon the sacred city as an invader!"

"I am no such thing!" she cried trying to contest with the angered King.

"Quickly, Master Canaan," he said.

The Fencing Master looked at Eva and closed his eyes.

"Please forgive me," he said very softly as he raised the katana up in the air.

Eva shut her eyes tightly.

The sword fell.

However, it did not hit its mark.

After feeling nothing, Eva opened her eyes. She felt the hands holding her a little less restraining. Looking around as best as she could, she saw that she had a rescuer.

"Ai-Aikka?" she said, as she saw the Prince holding his neck above hers.

The sword's blade had stopped only a few millimeters above his neck. Holding that sword was a very shocked Canaan. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he looked a little white from the initial horror of nearly killing not only one of his students but also the heir to the kingdom. He made an audible gulp.

"What in the name of the Earth Mother are you doing?" asked Lao as Eva felt Aikka remove himself from above her as Canaan took a step back.

"This is not how the Nourasian Court deals with outsiders, my father," said Aikka as Eva removed herself from the block. "We do not execute the innocent."

"What madness is this!?" cried King Lao standing up.

"Lao!" said Queen Nori, speaking for the first time in front of Eva. "Our son is right. Listen to him!"

"The Earth Mother herself would not condone this act!" said Aikka. "I found her out in the rainforest. I do not know what kind of sorcery has brought my friend, Molly to our world, but she is not an intruder. Have you forgotten about how she saved not only me, but also this entire galaxy. Had she not stopped Canaletto, we would not be here today!"

"I have heard your story of this Great Race," said King Lao settling down in his throne once more. "The fact of the matter is that you lost and the story of the Ultimate Prize being the act of becoming an Avatar is something I wish I would never hear from you. You know better than to lie, my son."

"He did not lie!" cried Eva. "He was there. I was there! I saw a good friend of mine give up his life to become the Avatar. If I had any evidence, well, the one sword Aikka did give to me…"

"So that is what happened to his tanto," said Canaan, "I was wondering what became of it. Prince Aikka, you are usually so careful with your processions."

Aikka made a blush and tried to cover his face.

"It turned to dust," she continued.

"That… That should not be."

Everyone turned to see a Nourasian, tall and thin and aged woman wearing robes of white, grey, and a pale color that Eva could not determine was blue or purple. Her hair was white as silver moonlight and her eyes beheld a quality as that of sapphires. She held a staff made from wood that twisted into a wonderful latticework that Eva had seen in fantasy paintings of wizards and witches. There was a power – a magic that Eva felt coming from her, the same she had once felt coming from Aikka once she had been close enough to feel the energy coming off of a spell he was casting. She came from a doorway surrounded by purple lily plants and walked up to the group of Royals and the Human. She looked at Eva.

"I placed a charm upon that particular sword," said the woman, "it would never rust or tarnish in the care of the Prince or whoever he chooses to protect. Only something far more powerful than the magic I process would be able to destroy such."

"M'lady Terru," said Prince Aikka, bowing on one knee. "I can explain."

But he did not. Lady Terru, as this Nourasian was called, came to Eva and laid her hand on her forehead. As she did so, Eva could feel something cool from her touch, like energy flowing down from her hand down to her heart. It was not invasive, but something she had felt before on Oban, during a race, though she could not remember how. She looked up to see Lady Terru withdraw her hand from her forehead with a look of worry and discomfort upon her face.

"You poor child," she said at last. "You have been touched by Dark Magic…"

"M'lady?" said King Lao.

"A Dark Magic from near the earliest of times," she said, "wrought by pain and grief, and then sent upon this child. No one should ever have that thrust upon them." She then looked up to the other Nourasians watching from the balconies. "She will need a place for the night, and fresh clothes as well as a meal."

Eva turned to see the King looking quite befuddled while the Queen tried to reassure him. Aikka turned to her and seemed to give her the ghost of a smile until his Fencing Master called him off, perhaps to get ready for some training. As he left her, he turned and waved and then placed his hand into a fist: the sign of their agreement on Alwas and Oban. Eva did the same fist sign as he ran off down a dimming hallway carved into the rock. A sudden hand on her shoulder made her look up. Lady Terru looked at her solemnly.

"I do not know what kind of magic has brought you all the way from Human's World," she said, "but as of now, you must stay here until we find a way to bring you back."

To be continued...

**A/N: Yes I left you on a hanger, but at least one conflict has been resolved. Aren't you at least happy about that?**

**Here are some notes about the terminology:**

_Radience:_ That's the title given to Nourasian Royalty by the people in greeting. This is due to the belief that the Three Moons are considered the Royalty in the sky along with the Sun.

Earth Mother: The term for the surpreme diety in Nourasian religion.

Tanto: An actual term for an ancient Japanese weapon which is more like a dagger than anything else. Heck, I don't know what to call the sword Aikka calls, it's pretty short in the anime anyways!


	8. Chapter 8: First Night

**A/N: Before you go into the story I am aware of a few questions about the character of Lady Terru. All I can say is yes, she is like a mage, but as to whether or not she is Aikka's magic teacher in the sense of Canaan is his fencing master, well, I'm not going to divulge too much. However, you will get some idea of what her occupation is in this chapter.**

Ch. 8 "First Night"

Eva sat in silence as she was given a plate of what appeared to be California Rolls and a small cup of what she naturally assumed was water but was quickly proven wrong when she tasted it.

"Ugh," she said, as she quickly drew the nasty drink from her face.

_It's supposed to be good for you_, said a voice inside her head.

She nearly jumped but then saw Aikka looking at her over a cup near her.

_Pico Water is supposed to be very good for anyone who's been touched by Dark Magic_, he said, _or so I've heard. But between you and me… Well it does taste like something less than unpalatable?_

_Are you kidding_, she said using her mental voice; _it tastes like nasty cough medicine._

_Well_, he said, _if it tastes bad then it MUST be good for you!_

A mental laugh came across to Eva who tried her best not to laugh. Especially not in front of the King, who was starring at Eva with a faint mistrust as he drank down what seemed to be a cup of sake in one gulp. The Queen merely smiled at the girl and continued eating. Eva started on her own food.

The rest of the evening went mostly without event: she was allowed to bathe in a small tub sent into the ground and usually reserved for guests of the palace. It wasn't actually small now that she thought about it: it had been the size big enough to fit in a hippo.

_Perhaps for Crogs_, she thought but calmly assured herself due to her knowledge of the palace that no Crogs would be allowed in the city even if they held the entire planet at knife-point, figuratively.

She was given a set of pajamas and a robe made from some kind of soft brown fabric. A servant showed her to a room in what she assumed was the guest quarters. Inside was a bed hallowed out into the stone itself with a soft pad for a mattress and blankets. It had been outfitted for a young woman, at least in Eva's mind, as she looked at the various decorations.

For lamps, there were blue crystals shaped into flowers drooping down and spilling a soft light. The flooring was wooden planks which surrounded a depression of stone, which Eva assumed was a kind of hearth. A pitcher and bowl made of porcelain was in one corner on a stone table carved from the surrounding rock. On the walls was a fresco, but not of lively animals, but of irregular hills and strange flowering plants done in pinks, reds, and purples. Curtains of silk covered the entrance to the balcony and the walkway.

The servant smiled and bowed before leaving Eva to her own.

_I wonder why she didn't speak to me_, she thought to herself.

0000

Prince Aikka knelt in his room, in preparation for bed. He was dressed in a robe garment which was slightly padded against the cool night. The palace and city might've been built along a river in a jungle, but the nights could be very cold during certain times of the year.

However, this night was very different from others. In a room in the guest wing, a young Human girl was asleep, something that had never happened before. Actually it was the first time that a Human had ever had been allowed inside of the Celestial Palace to his knowledge.

It was at once exciting and painful, joyful and agonizing to say the least to have your best friend in the entire galaxy, some one you have feelings for, some one you cared for being in the one place in the entire galaxy besides some kind of Crog infested lair that she couldn't be in. To Aikka, yes, he had always wanted her to see his kingdom, his world, and maybe, just maybe he could see her own. But now, with relations between themselves and the Crogs so strained that if there was but one push in either direction, it would be war, but they would be the ones who would suffer the most in the end. Molly should not be put into this, she would have to be brought back or if they could not in any fashion, she would have to be placed in a safe haven amongst his people. But even then…

Aikka sighed, painfully.

A knock at the doorway signaled the approach of the Fencing Master.

"Young Radiance," said the old Nourasian, "your bed time is nearing. There is much to do tomorrow and Royal Edict says you must rest." Aikka cast his head down and started to get up. "You have many lessons and just because the Earth girl has come to our palace does not mean that everything has stopped."

_Molly_.

Aikka went to his bed.

"You are dismissed," he said as he felt the Fencing Master walk away.

He fell into the pad and exhaled. All that night he dreamt of what the next day would bring and his friend.

0000

Lady Terru sat in her study with a worried expression on her face as she looked over a pool situated in a depression before her. It was glowing blue, which meant no reason for alarm.

However, this girl landing in the middle of the rainforest without any reason at all made no sense, and was more worry than anything she had experienced in her life. As she sat there, watching the blue glow, many thoughts floated into her head, all of them doing with this girl.

"M'lady Terru," said a voice behind her. "I came as soon as I heard of the strange news."

"News does travel fast," said Lady Terru turning to face a tall male Nourasian, with hair like snow and eyes like storm clouds, wearing white and grey. "What brings you to the Holy City, Lord Riiku?"

"Only the matter of this girl," said Lord Riiku bowing at the waist. "A Human landing in the midst of the great rainforest, such has not happened since… Well, nothing of the sort has ever happened in the entire history of this world!"

"Except for the Star Maiden," said Terru.

Lord Riiku blanched for a moment and then recovered.

"Merely a fairy tale," he said, "only the gullible believe in the Star Maiden…"

"Not so," said Terru, standing up from her seat. "If you knew about the underlying truth of our order, to never dismiss the potential of hidden truths, then you wouldn't be saying that would you? I thought such a high ranking sorcerer such as yourself would know better than to say that."

"My apologies," said Riiku, "but how does it that my pupil thinks up a fairy tale to solve this problem?"

"There is no problem, Lord Riiku," said Terru, "just the problem of sending her back safe and sound without any interference. It is only by the will of the Earth Mother and the Moons that she was not harmed in any way, except for that crocodan deal."

Lord Riiku folded his arms and sighed.

"I was more inclined to the problems of our… _allies_."

"I-I did not…"

Riiku shook his head.

"And that is why you are a student," he said.

0000

Sometime during the night, Eva was awaken by a something… A dream, a nightmare, she was not certain. But she found herself touching the mirror in her sash in the pajamas she had been given. She stood up, a little unnerved at what she had been awaken by. Oddly, she noted that the mirror she was holding was very warm, almost as if it was alive. She pulled it out and looked into the surface.

Nothing.

It was pitch black, like night without stars or moon, and she could not see her reflection, which struck her as odd. But then, as soon as she started to stray away from the mirror, she saw something stirring in the surface.

A flash of scarlet wings stirred in the black, while a voice spoke to her in a voice that sounded… familiar.

_"Eva… Eva…,"_ it said, _"come…"_

The Human girl blinked in astonishment.

_"Come…"_

_Come where?_ She thought, thinking instead of speaking.

However, the voice or the entity behind it seemed to know what she was speaking of. An image started to form in the surface of the mirror.

0000

But before she could see what was being made, a set of footsteps went past her doorway. She looked up suddenly from the mirror. The footsteps went away from her hearing range, and she looked back to the mirror. It had, during that space of time become a regular mirror. Her reflection starred up at her sleepy face and nothing else.

Blue haze met his serpentine gaze.

"For so long…"

He was smiling, which meant there was something good coming his way, an opportunity if you would that he was so willing to grasp it would mean nothing if he didn't get it at the right time. Oh yes, he was not the one to so eagerly pass up something so powerful so right at the moment…

Heck, anyone wouldn't, at least in his mentality.

"So very long…"

For a moment, the shadowy figure reclined in his throne made of glass and metal, things made to be cold to the touch, yet conducted heat when necessary, at least for his own purposes. A fine appearing hand which seemed to be made out of crystalline glass which sucked in the shadows of the room reclined against his chin. In fallowing, an elegant finger brushed his lower lip to his chin, where a patch of manicured beard laid. His eyes widened, not entirely serpentine as they were before, but ice blue, which made them jump out even more in the still of the room. Another hand went to caress the surface of a mirror, similar in shape to the one that Eva held in his hands but larger and decorated not with that of intertwining dragons, or flying fish and dolphins but strange sea serpents, and nightmarish animals that seemed to have come from the depths of the ocean. The surface glow a pale and sickly green, as though the ocean itself had been made of poison. A blurred picture went past his vision, which cast the same sickly green across the surface upon every object in the picture. He gave a quick examination, smiling some more before tapping on the screen. A picture, still as a photograph came into view. Although it was quite blurred he could see a shape like that a young woman holding something in her hands. She was not Nourasian, which did confuse him some until something flew across his mind causing him to give a wide Cheshire Cat grin showing pearly white teeth.

"Ah King Lao," he said, "such a fool of man to think he can hold up against any magic whatsoever, when he himself has none."

Into the hazy room, a swift figure darted from a hole in the ceiling to his arm. It was hard to make out any kind of shape, but he turned to look upon the creature as it seemingly gave him some information, in a language unheard. At last when the creature was done, the figure drew back and gave a sigh of relief.

"At least the first seeds have been planted," he said to himself. "And like the farmers the kingdoms touts as been so good, I will be patient. They will grow, they will sprout, and I will harvest."

To be continued...

**A/N: Another cliffhanger... Of sorts. BTW any questions you have can be answered in the new forum for my series, called Nourasian Knights Series. **

**Please read and review!**


	9. Chapter 9: Lesson on Nourasia

**A/N: I'm gonna say this again if you have any questions please visit my forum or you can address them in the review section. Other than that, yes I'm just building up for the big event, you'll see. Thank you for the reviews, you know who you are, but seriously, please review if you read this. **

**Oh and as for the mystery man at the end of the last chapter, well his motives are yet to be seen. By the way, I'm over 1500 hits on this story so farwhich makes me happy. Thank you everyone! **

Ch. 9 "Lessons in Nourasia"

The sun of Nourasia rose upon the irregular horizon of the karst landscape that covered the eastern half of the land beyond Dol. Eva woke up just as she felt the sun hit her face. She stood up in her bed; feeling very well rested despite the fact that she had been awaken in the night by some unknown source. Looking around, she noted how the room looked so different in the light of the morning sun. All the colors on the fresco were brighter and livelier and the lamps made of blue crystal had dimmed as though of their own command. On a rack against the wall, there were some clean clothes and undergarments. Hoping out of the bed, Eva went over to examine her clothes. They consisted of a sleeveless dress that came down to above her knees, a wide sash of bronzy suede, and the familiar traditional detachable arm sleeves, though theses had been accented with a powder blue boarder. She put these on and stepped out of her room, not knowing where to go. There was a cough behind her as she started down the hall. She jumped but turned around to see the face of the Fencing Master.

"Come with me, m'lady," said the Fencing Master as he gave a slight bow in her direction.

Without any question, Eva followed the old Nourasian down what seemed to be a labyrinth of hallways down to an open pavilion were the Royal Family was seated around a low-set table. A waft of aroma hit her senses, making her fully aware that she was hungry. She gave Canaan a bow, which he smiled at and left. Then she went over to kneel with the Royal Family at the breakfast table.

The table was actually not as laden with food as she had imagined. There was a bowl of fresh fruit, which consisted mainly of some kind of yellow melon, a pink strawberry like fruit, banana-like fruit with a red peel, and a couple of purple fruit which looked like pears. There were at least three plates, each with a different type of food upon it. One had some pastries in the shape of large leaves, another with crepe like food rolled up with some kind of fruit jam, and another had dumplings which smelled like it had wild mushrooms in them.

Without any ado, Eva took a crepe from a plate that Aikka gave to her. In a matter of seconds, she had one of each of the foods she had seen as well as one of the pink strawberries she had seen. Strangely no one seemed to mind how much food she had taken until she noted that everyone was doing about the same thing. A cup of a pink-orange liquid which smelled of lemonade levitated to her side enveloped in a halo of blue. Eva turned to see Aikka manipulating the cup, though she had not heard any spell accompanying it.

"Thank you, Aikka," she said as she took the cup in her hands.

"You're welcome," Aikka replied.

"My son," said King Lao, speaking for the first time since the day before. "You should not allow people to address you as-"

A small cough from the queen made Lao stop and let out a sigh.

"What my love says is that Aikka is usually to be called by his formal title at all times," explained the Queen. "But if my son is alright with the fact that you call him through use of his informal name, then it must be fine."

King Lao only made a slight nod.

Eva being settled down decided to chow down as it were.

The food she had, as she found out later, was quite interesting. The pink-orange drink tasted like a mix between strawberry and bananas, the pink strawberry as she learned was actually called a pauberri and tasted quite pleasant. The dumplings were filled with a bean curd paste, also very nice, and the leaf pastries tasted like fresh baked bread. There wasn't much talking, which was strange but oddly comforting to say the least, but Aikka's mother asked her to come over to the "sunroom" whatever that was or meant, and join her and the ladies of the palace. Aikka's father, on the other hand, merely looked at her and said nothing.

However as she started to get up, the King spoke.

"Earth girl," he said, startling Eva a little,"if what I am to believe is true about you from my son, then I have only one thing to say."

"What is that?" she asked.

"Try to keep out of trouble," he said. "The Code of the City forbids those who come from Beyond the Three Moons to enter Dol, but you seemingly have the permission of my son, yes?"

"That's not exactly one-"

"Answer my question, child."

"Well, you see… I kinda dropped in. It wasn't under my control! I was out in the rain going back home when I fell into a lake and nearly got eaten by a crocodile thing! If it wasn't for Aikka… I would… I would've died."

"I see…" King Lao nodded sadly. It was now as though he realized that Eva didn't mean any harm, though that wasn't much to persuade him from the underlying distrust of her, being an intruder upon all things.

"Father," said Aikka, with a bow, "may Lady Molly accompany me at my studies?"

Both the King and the young Earth woman starred at him with wide eyes.

"That, that sounds like an interesting idea!" said Queen Nori.

"Yes," said King Lao.

"Then she shall join me," said Aikka as he took Eva's hand by surprise and ran down past Canaan into the hallway open to the rising sun.

King Lao was left standing there with a semi-shocked expression upon his face. This quickly transformed into a frustrated and angry face.

"Nori my love," he snapped, "what is going on!?"

"You said yes, my dear," she said, "and is the king's word not law?"

He was stumbling for words now as he stood flabbergasted at what his wife, his love had just said.

"And besides," Nori added, "you wanted that girl to stay out of trouble…"

"But -!"

"The mentors would understand, everyone in the palace knows of her existence…"

"But -!"

"Talk travels very, very quickly in the palace…"

"But -!"

"There are no Crogs about, they would not dare enter the Holy City again…"

"But -!"

"My love," she placed a finger over the king's lips, silencing him, "they will be fine."

She then left Lao alone on the pavilion, while servants started to remove the mostly empty plates.

0000

Aikka felt some excitement. He didn't have to answer to anyone. However, although he felt some freedom running away from his parents, he realized he had denied someone. He stopped at an opening overlooking a small marsh. Eva, who had been dragged along without her permission, stopped, a little surprised but seemingly frustrated. When they stopped, she looked at Aikka with angry red eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Her tone of voice didn't sound angry, mostly frustrated at the sense of being dragged against her will.

"I thought you would've wanted something better to do than sit around in a room all day or weave and chatter with my mother and the other ladies in the sunroom," he said.

"Huh?"

"I thought you weren't that kind of girl," he said.

"I'm not!" she said. "But you said studies. That would mean school?"

"Well," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "yes…"

"Another thing I hate," she said.

"You think you're the only one?" he said.

One of Eva's eyebrows crocked.

"I admit, my studies can be… Annoying at times," he said, "but as a prince, I must stay and learn. But I thought you might have something to do, I mean, I do not think that they teach anything about Nourasian history in your 'school.'"

"Well," she said, "no, I have to admit that."

Aikka started down the hallway. She was going to follow him but was interrupted by a rough sounding purr to her left. A large leonine face made her jump when she looked to the corner of her eye. A huge white and gold tiger like creature settled down by her, shaking a leonine mane of golden-bronze as it starred at her with blue eyes.

"Do not be afraid, Molly," said Prince Aikka. "It's just Roku, my father's liger."

"Oh," said Eva, "he – he doesn't bite, does he?"

"Only those who would harm the Royal Family," he said.

Tentatively, Eva held her hand out to touch the liger. She did not move but the creature pushed his head up under her hand and rubbed against it. The fur of the liger was soft and silky to her touch and warm. Done with rubbing against her hand, the liger made a rough purr and then rubbed against Eva, not just her leg, but her entire body since it was about as large as a pony. Roku the liger then licked her face with his huge, rough tongue and moved away from her. Eva rubbed her face after it was nearly sandpapered off by the big cat's tongue, while watching the liger rub itself against Aikka as the prince rubbed the sides of the cat's face, and played a little with the large cat, as though it was just a normal house cat. A smile crept upon the prince's face which made her feel wonderful, some kind of wonderful she had not felt in a while. A thin blush came upon her checks as the animal left Aikka. He held out his hand to Eva as she took it quickly.

"Shall we go?" he asked.

In truth, they didn't need to ask each other or answer. Hand in hand, they walked down the hallway, fallowed by the liger.

0000

The first "study" was held in a room filled with old vellum maps depicting several parts of Nourasia. The mentor was an elderly Nourasian male with blue crystal glasses who spoke about the history and the land of Nourasia with much pride. He did not seem to be wholly surprised to have Eva joining his very small (consisting of just her and Aikka) class and quickly explained the world of Nourasia.

She had read that Nourasia was composed of one kingdom, which seemed strange since Nourasia as she had always imagined, was very large. Now as she sat in the dusty room, she found out that Nourasia was made up of smaller kingdoms that actually seem to be more like provinces rather than kingdoms, although they were ruled by kings and queens. There were a number of about eight kingdoms, surrounding the central city of Dol. These kingdoms were that of Yana, Zhao, Li, Kin, Fuu, Miwa, Shu, and Ein, with their corresponding cities. They were ruled currently by Queen Shella of Yana, King Azul of Zhao, King Daichi of Li, Queen Tipa of Kin, Queen Pamuya of Fuu, Princess Sayurii of Miwa, Prince Cam of Shu, and King Ansam of Ein. Together they were known as the Eight Kingdoms, excepting the High King of course. And Nourasia was mostly known as the Kingdom of Nourasia.

Then the geography surprised her as well. Nourasia was actually composed of one large island the size of India, with smaller islands surrounding it in a kind of archipelago in a shallow area of a vast ocean. However, as Eva studied the map upon the wall, she noticed something odd.

"What's that, a continent?" she asked the old man, pointing to a large landmass the size and almost the shape of South America, but with a large near circular bay in the place where Chili should be on the old leather map.

The old Nourasian turned to her and the map, adjusting his glasses.

"That would be the Poisoned Land," said the old man, "our legends say that this is a cursed land, no one lives there, but there is an ancient city there."

"The Poisoned Land?"

"Yes, that would be the largest landmass known on Nourasia. There is a desert of sinking sands, a jungle filled with flesh-eating plants, a lake of acid, and a land where the very air will kill. No one ever goes there, unless it is necessary. There is a legend however, of a time long ago when the land was home to a great city, one that would rival Dol in its very greatness. But they became quite arrogant and destroy the balance between them and nature, leading to their downfall."

"It's a very old legend," said Aikka, "but I'm afraid my lesson here is almost up."

The old man gave a wry smile, and bowed.

The next "lesson" was actually one on ancient literature, taught in a small room filled with sunlight and old scrolls. The teacher was a young scholarly type who looked like he was aging a bit premataturely. He didn't seem much perturbed by the fact that a young human had decided to enter their class, however, he was under the impression that Eva knew at least several Nourasian sagas when she had never even heard a Nourasian haiku in her life.

"Well," said the young man who had identified himself as Cheung, "you should at least know the Tale of the Brave Girl or the Tale of the Seven Princes, perhaps the legend of Renamaroo? Come now, someone of your bearing should at least know what happens in The Idylls of the Wavewalker."

"I'm afraid I don't know much about Nourasian literature," said Eva shyly, "in fact I've never heard or read anything from Nourasia before."

Cheung pushed back his blue crystal glasses, reminding Eva of Koji a little.

"Oh odd, oh very odd," he muttered.

After that was a short study break in the vast library. Aikka showed her around, but Eva couldn't really read any of the scrolls, since most of them were in Nourasian or Old Nourasian. However, she did find a few lightly bound books with lively watercolors in them of various landscapes and deities…

Then came a lesson Eva had not anticipated, but was sure that Aikka had to do regularly each day.

Fencing classes, or rather that was what Eva called them.

In reality, the class itself was not secluded inside of a huge indoor arena like she had imagined.

Perhaps that's only when it rains, she thought, thinking of the time she had met Aikka and his fencing master.

Large tamati mats laid on a platform constructed inside of an enclosure carved into the rock. Grass grew up from the ground, making the ground soft for those kneeling and watching the various groups of guards and knights sparring. It was somewhat like karate spars on Earth as Eva had remembered, however, they did not wear much in the way of protective gear. Large groups both of men and women ranging in age from young toddlers to the elderly were watching, some waiting for their turn.

Eva winched as she watched Aikka's trainer, Thuy deliver a dragon kick into the face of a Nourasian somewhere in his thirties or the equilevent of that on Nourasia. He fell down clutching his face in pain as she waited for him to get up. Eva turned to Aikka who was merely studying the fight.

A kick to the face is not dishonorable at least in Nourasian ideals, he told her through mind speech. However, trying to punch someone in the face is very taboo.

Oh, she thought to herself, though she was quite assured that she somehow said it as well because Aikka's Fencing Master gave her a look when she did so.

A call from the platform told Eva and Aikka that it was the prince's turn to spar, though not with his knight teacher. This time, a male Nourasian with a soul patch and near brown hair pulled back into a ponytail ascended the platform. He walked in a way that reminded Eva of Jordan when he had a perfect day. After giving a wave to the girls cheering him on, he proceeded to walk towards Aikka on the platform. At the middle they bowed respectfully towards each other.

"Hi there," said the male Nourasian.

"Good afternoon, Sir Toruu," said Aikka, as he rose from his bow and went into a mantis pose. "I hope you've trained well."

"Of course," Toruu said as he smiled slyly and took up a lion pose, "I just hope you have as well."

Without another word, the two circled each other, eyes locked on each other. When they rose against each other, it was like two great forces slamming up against one another in an explosion of energy. Eva could feel it come off of them and nearly fell back from the force. From Toruu fists flew towards Aikka's torso, while Aikka dealt kicks both high and low against Toruu. The action was so fast Eva could not see much, though in her heart she hoped that Aikka had not been hurt. Suddenly there was a gasp, and one figure bent backwards painfully. In a moment of slow motion, the Prince fell down on the platform. Eva started as she saw her friend fall down on the mats. Toruu smiled but made a quick bow of respect. She stood up from her seat, making a surprise amongst the group as she ran over to comfort Aikka. The Nourasian boy was okay, merely rubbing his chest where Toruu has hit him.

"I'm okay Molly," he said.

Eva wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close to her. Aikka started at that. All around her, eyes starred at her. The Human girl was unaware at all of the attention she was getting.

In the shade of a portico, a lean figure walked up to see the event, and a faint frown came to her face.

"She's going to have to learn how to behave herself in this place," said Lady Terru.

To be continued...

**A/N: Please review. Reviews make me write more.**

**As of now, the chapter that comes after the next chapter is not finished or edited yet. I do not know if I will be done with it for next week so please be patient. I only got three reviews for last chapter. Oh well, maybe I should've made things far more interesting... **


	10. Chapter 10: The Secret of Magic

**A/N: I got 7 reviews over the week-end and that just feels good. And getting this chapter done just in time felt good as well. **

**Okay, did anyone notice the various anime and book references? Avatar, CLAMP, etc? Anyone? Well if you noticed any in the last chapter, you can ask about them if you didn't. **

**As for the question on Lady Terru, she isn't mad, just read the rest of the chapter. As for Eva doing what she did, for anyone in the Mokka ship or besides, anyone who went through the entire of Oban Star Racers, you know what she was feeling. That is, unless, you just ignored the whole relationship and want to kill me for placing Eva on Nourasia instead of introducing Aikka to Generic Nourasian Princess #1097, then you have missed much of Oban. I feel sorry for you. There is more to Oban than just pretty star races and alien princes, there's a lot more.**

**Sorry about the little rant, just a little thing I needed to clear up.**

**Oh and more of the mysterious fellow in the blue haze my readers, more of the creepy guy and his mirror of doom...**

**Read and review.**

**Disclaimer: Do I need to put this up, really? No, I don't own Oban. Oban is (c) of Savin Yeatman-Eiffel.**

Ch. 10 "The Secret of Magic"

"King Lao, Queen Nori, Prince Aikka…" said the shadowy man in the blue haze. "How sad…"

He was playing with the surface of the mirror. His finger stopped and the mirror's surface glowed a sickly green. There was a flash and an image of a young, non-Nourasian girl walking with the prince down an open hallway in an afternoon sunlight. The girl was seemingly trying to hug and comfort the prince.

"A foolish girl," he said, almost spitting into the mirror.

"She might be a problem," said another voice, this one cold and female. A figure dressed in blood red appeared in a darkened hallway.

"Of course," said the male, "but for now, she has no real power, nothing at all."

"She's still a threat," said the female.

"Ah yes," he said as he played with the surface of the mirror. "But do not worry. My seeds are starting to grow, and we shan't count our sprouts before they have grown my dear child."

"What am I to do?" asked the young woman.

"You are going to find the girl and the prince. Not to Dol, we should not alarm the people around that area, but soon we will have to make some kind of commotion, trouble if you may. Draw them away from the palace, from the city. Then you must befriend them, only in name."

The girl bowed her head.

"Yes my master," she said, "I will do as you have… commanded."

0000

At the moment, Aikka was in a mix of emotions. He was happy that Molly was there, but all of the mental messages and the looks the both of them were getting made him embarrassed. His cheeks would be burning red had he not learned the stuble art of hiding emotions from Thuy and she was good at it, he had to admit.

Thank the gods that they were now in the hallway facing the east, where no one was rushing around to even take notice of the strange duo walking, half leaning into each other.

She was holding him up a little, even though he was alright.

"Molly," he said, "I'm not harmed."

"But you got a foot in the chest!" she said.

"Perhaps you need to learn some _restraint_?" he asked. But in all honesty, Aikka was feeling some pain, but he was sure it was going to turn into a bruise in time.

"_Prince_! Prince Aikka!"

Both looked up to see the familiar face of the Fencing Master. He looked a little nerved seeing the two together like that.

"Your father wishes for a private meeting with you," he said. "Lady Molly, I suggest that you take your leave here."

"The child may come with me," said a motherly voice.

Eva turned to see the figure of Lady Terru standing before her. With a wave of her hand she seemed to ask Eva to come with her.

0000

Eva sat upon a stone bench covered in cushions stuffed with sweet smelling herbs. The room she had been led into looked like something out of a 1001 Nights. There were curtains covered in writings in purple ink, and lanterns of glass hung from the ceiling. A few incense burners hung from the ceiling as well, issuing a thin trail of purplish smoke with a scent not too strong or too soft. Flowers and vines grew across the ceilings and walls, missing a bookshelf which was filled with scrolls and expanding books, which as Eva could only speculate, was filled with spells and histories of Nourasia. In the middle of the room was a depression filled with clear water. Across from her, Eva could see the lower city, with the sight of a silvery river.

Lady Terru was busily taking out a small cup and teapot for her new guest. She poured a cup out for the Human girl before settling down on another bench, this one being made of wood and covered in a soft feathery blanket. Beside the old Nourasian woman were two creatures that looked like dormice which were the size of housecats, sleeping as peacefully as said animals.

"I saw you at the sparring ring today," said Lady Terru, as Eva drank a little of the tea. It was good, with a lemony taste she had not expected. "As you can see, my room looks over the Great Mother River or the Amuluka(1) as we call it. It helps me with my farsight abilities. But that is not the reason I have brought you here."

"Then why?" asked Eva.

"Well first is to learn some restraint," said Terru, "I need to tell you that, due to the little incident between you and Aikka."

"But he got hurt!"

One of Terru's eyebrows arched. She wasn't so much aware of the attachment between the young Human girl and the Prince. In fact, she had overheard something of a friendship, but was sure it nothing more than that. However the way the girl had spoken of that incident made Terru wonder.

"Still," she continued, "next time don't go rushing up to his radiance like that. The other reason I have brought you here was about your stay here. I know it has not been more than a night and half a day since you have come here, but I still want to know if you are doing well or not."

Eva kicked her legs up in a playful mode and spoke.

"Everything is fine here," she said, "the people are nice and except for nearly getting executed yesterday, I feel…"

"Yes?"

"Oddly enough, I don't think I've felt more accepted, except amongst my family and friends, well what few friends I have and on the Earth Team. Thank you so much."

Lady Terru nodded as she listened to the Earth girl and gave out a sigh.

"Well I'm glad of that," she said, "since I'm afraid until I can find a way to bring you back, you will be staying here for a while. I am very sorry that you have been taken from your home and your family so abruptly..."

"It isn't your fault," said Eva, "I mean, you didn't bring me here, did you?"

"No, in fact, I can't teleport people like that," said Terru, shaking her head. "Master Thuy of the Nourasian Knights can teleport herself anywhere, but whenever she does something like that over a long distance, she gets a terrible headache. And as far as I know, she can't teleport other people unless she's with them."

"Master Thuy?"

"She's Aikka's trainer. You saw her at the sparring ring today, did you not?"

"Oh yeah," Eva remembered the Nourasian woman who kicked a man in the face. Suddenly a question came to Eva's mind that had been nagging her ever since she met the old woman.

"Lady Terru, that's your name right," Eva asked as the old Nourasian woman nodded serenely. "Are you Aikka's magic teacher or something? I was just wondering if you where or not…"

Lady Terru gave her an odd look then laughed a little.

"You are quite inquisitive are you not?" she said. "I am not his teacher in the ways of magic in the way that Master Canaan is his fencing teacher, but yes, I have taught the Prince all the same. However, since my magic is mostly influenced by the presence of water and his is mostly influenced by the presence of wind, though he does share the abilities of some water, we can not learn spells from each other without a little conflict."

"Wind magic?" Eva asked. "Like an Elementalist?"

"Not entirely," said Terru, as one of the dormouse creatures woke up and washed itself. "You see in our magic and our wisdom, we believe that people can correspond to different magic's and different elements, elements that you might find different from your perception of elements. The magic I use is considered more allied with water, which deals with farsight and phophesy, as well as illusions and healing. There is little to do with fighting and protecting than wind magic is. Aikka's magic is rather interesting since wind has not truly been evident in many Royal Families and it rarer still to have empathy with two differing types. In any case, Aikka's magic is closely allied with wind, and is suitable to shielding, speed, and in the case of his proficiency in archery helps him make his arrows into deadly projectiles. But his water alliance is also helpful in his abilities to long send. However, the one thing that allies both of our magic is the fact that our magic also allies us with the Blue Moon Sekkai (2), which when her face is full gives us a full advantage in using our powers. Those allied with the Blue Moon are also able to mind speech more easily. So you could say that this element could be called moon, but due to our Three Moons, we really can't say that."

"Are there other magics?" asked Eva. "Is that what you are saying?"

"Oh yes!" Lady Terru smiled. "You didn't seriously think that there is one magic did you?"

"I knew about Dark Magic on Oban," said Eva, "as well as Light Magic."

"Those are absolutes," explained Terru, "all other magic is said to be derived from those two principles. The actual theories and thoughts on that is very complex and I won't bother explaining it here, and besides only high ranking sorcerers like myself can understand it. I don't want to bore you to death, or so the Earth saying goes."

"I see."

"Wind and fire are mostly associated with Nourasian Knights and fighting overall. Heart and Earth are most often associated with healing practices, while water and cloud are associated with what many think Light magic is. Shadow is a magic which is often mistaken for Dark Magic but isn't, crystal is used by illusionists, and there are others, but these are the ones I can get from the top of my head for the moment. However, you must remember that not all magic is assigned to one occupation. For example, there is at least one Nourasian Knight I know who is allied with cloud magic."

"Can you choose your magic?"

"No. Just like how not everyone is born with magic, no one can choose to be have cloud magic or any other. There are some scholars who have investigated this and think it's due to the different seasons, but there are other theories. For one, it is known that the prince was born in a different season than the previous kings and queens of Nourasia. Perhaps that's why his magic is so much different than others of the Royalty."

"Can anyone gain magic?" asked Eva.

"Not to my knowledge," said Terru. "However, as far as I can say, I still have to teach you some things about this place. I grant you have never been acquainted with some of the customs of the Nourasian court, no?"

"Well," said Eva, "no one writes about that stuff in the books on Earth."

"Books eh?" Terru smiled. _She's like me at her age_.

"The court is something of a family," she said "but not as truly complex as the ones on Earth have been..."

"You've read some books about Earth's history?" asked Eva.

Terru smiled. "Not exactly," she said. "No one writes about that stuff on Nourasia."

0000

There are numerous court officials in the Nourasian noble court. They consist of a majordomo who is often seen as the head of the staff and shares his or her duties with that of chamberlain; a seneschal who controlled the codes; a cup-bearer for the king; the masters of the horse (or at least the creature most like a horse in Nourasia), the shika, and the kabuto; a falconer and her apprentice; a Maid of honor and the various handmaidens and ladies in waiting of the Queen; a few grooms; a keeper of the seal; a few scribes here and there; knights and pages (not necessarily the Nourasian Knights Aikka spoke of); the panetier and the various cooks; harpers and bards; the maids; magicians and the royal physician; and the guards with the head marshal. (3)

Eva did not meet them all that day, but as Terru lead her down the hallway a washed with light, she saw some maids and a few of the ladies in waiting of Queen Nori as soon learned. They were milling around in the open air courtyard.

However, there was something else on her mind at the moment.

_I wonder where the prince is?_ She thought to herself.

0000

Aikka's father was seated on a throne made out of the bronze material that made up his crown. Great wing-like structures branched out on either side of the throne, making his father seem larger than life. The prince upon the other hand was kneeling before his father, as was customary, head bowed so he would not meet eyes.

"You may rise, my son," said King Lao, waving his hand. His face seemed to be hiding something grim behind it; Aikka could give a guess as to why it was so. "Lately I have been deeply concerned about your safety."

"You have always been concerned about me, father," said Aikka. It was true, like every parent, Lao wanted his son to be kept free of dangers, although this was not always the case. The Great Race of Oban was one such case in which Lao and Nori had nearly lost their young son, mostly to the Crogs.

"This deals with something of far more weight than even that of the Great Race," he said, seemingly quickly. "It deals with your friend."

Suddenly Aikka's head jerked up.

"My friendship with the human girl is… mutual," he said. "There is…"

"Nothing?" Lao rubbed his temple in thought. "I wish it were. The Three Moons will be showing their full faces soon..."

"The Ceremony?" he asked.

"The Ceremony of the Three Moons will be soon commenced and your powers will be increased to their full limit. Are you not proud my son? Soon you will be an adult, a king!"

"But can't it wait?" he pleaded again.

"I'm afraid I can not do much about the Moons," said King Lao, "and even less about the Crogs…"

Aikka's eyes went wide in shock.

"But outsiders are not allowed into the City of Dol," said Aikka.

"It did not stop you… or her."

"This is different. How could you let them in there after what they put us, our entire kingdom through?"

"We are on the same beetle (4) I guess," said King Lao. "I didn't invite our … allies either."

0000

"Don't you know how to sew?" asked one of the ladies-in-waiting of Queen Nori as Eva sat on the floor holding the bone needle in hand with a piece of cloth in the other, not really knowing what to do.

"I – I kinda flunked Home Ed," she said sheepishly.

The woman looked at her curiously.

"That means I didn't pass sewing," Eva explained.

A young woman, probably near her own age laughed.

"_That's silly_!" she said. "Didn't your mother teach you how to mend clothes?"

"No! Humans don't like mending ruined clothes," said another woman.

"Don't be so stupid!" cried out another woman. "She just needs to learn."

Eva didn't have the heart or the mind right now to tell them that she never learned sewing because her mother had died when she was very young or that she simply did not have the time. Of course being in a Boarding School she had a small kit to work on little tears and holes but she never learned how to make her own stuff.

Queen Nori merely smiled.

"So you do not know how to sew," said Queen Nori. "My son spoke of you as being talented in some area…"

"Well," said Eva, "if you want to know, I've mainly dedicated my life to racing and maintaining star racers."

Everyone in the room gave her some odd stares.

"That is, I race," she explained further. "Like how some of the Nourasian Knights must do on their beetles?"

"I can not lie about that," said a young woman with dark brown hair. "My friend Pia likes to race her kabuto against the other Nourasian Knights during festival times. Though I never ride on her kabuto like that. It seems scary!"

_At least there is something I can talk about without alienating anyone_, she thought with a dose of irony.

When she thought she couldn't do anything else, a figure appeared in the doorway of the Sun Room.

"Your Radiance, Lady Molly," said Canaan, "please excuse me."

He walked out of the way to show Prince Aikka standing there. Eva stood up and nearly jumped into his arms until she realized that after what Terru had told her, she stopped on her tracks.

"Prince," she said, smiling with a light, quick bow.

"Princess," he said, mimicking her moves. "Shall we go?"

He took her by the arm and brought her out of the Sun Room, much to the surprise of the ladies. However, Canaan and Nori did not seem shocked at all. Canaan merely showed his dour face; he didn't much approve of the entire relationship. Nori seemed to be chuckling inside; she knew something special was going on.

0000

"I'm feeling something here," said the figure in the blue haze, "it's getting a little on my nerves."

"You need her though," said another, male voice, worn by age.

"She is powerless," said the figure. "But the Prince is what I need overall. This human girl is mere child's play. Do not worry; be paitent, it will go as planned."

0000

Somewhere in the distance between Dol and the karst country, a lone rider on a shika was heading towards the Holy City.

To be continued...

**A/N: Another cliffhanger, I seem to be full of these things. Here are some terms:**

1. The Amuluka: This river is the main river that flows past Dol and the Palace. It's often called the Red River due to the color of the silt it carries which makes the water a clay red color. The entire city of Dol and the farmers around that area depend on the river to flood it's banks and bring fertile soil for the planting season, which is similar to the Nile during the time of the Ancient Egyptians.

2. Sekkai is the true name of the Blue Moon of Nourasia and the only moon to display the color blue.No one is certain why the moon is blue. The word "sekai" used by the Nourasians in their spells coliates to the Blue Moon's power.

3. All of those terms listed are actual terms used for the positions in the courts of many ancient monarchies. You can look it up on Wiki under Royal Courts.

4. "We're on the same beetle" is a saying that is in conjuction to Earth's "We're in the same boat."

**Review please! That makes me write more.**

**Oh and btw I have not finished up with the next chapter. That will be coming soon, though I am having some trouble trying to write it though with school and work and all. Wish me luck.**


	11. Chapter 11: Interlude and Message

**A/N: To clear anything up, I was very busy over the few past weeks. I am sorry I did not update during that time, but I had some trouble with this chapter at first due to it being a transistion chapter. I will not probably be updating for a long time, due to me being out of state for a while and my busy busy bumblebee schedule next week. Okay so I hope you all like this and please be on the look out for several references to Avatar: The Last Airbender. Or perhaps just one.**

Ch.11 "Interlude and Message"

Eva rolled over in her bed, just as the sun rose over the karst landscape. She opened her sleepy eyes, and examined the room. Her new clothes were placed on a rack, though her old clothes had not been put away. She did not remember much of last night, she had been quite sleepy after all that exercise through the palace and the day before. However, she thought it was odd and out of place.

Rolling out of her bed, she found a new set of clothes, these consisting of a dress of a deep red color that reached mid thigh, with several Nourasian swirls on the torso part, with a wide sash of a deeper red. A pair of sandals lay on the floor beneath it. Instead of the usual arm sleeves, she had armlets to wear, with the familiar bronze decorations that held them up. She put these on and rushed out the doorway.

As she entered the hallway, she noticed something odd. It was a deal more silent than usual, which made Eva tense. There were few maids out and about. Instead of the usual chatting in Nourasian she had heard before, there was silence. She looked around to see some guards at the windows looking out nervously at the landscape. One of the guards spoke to his partner who wore her hair in a tight bun and then took a short look at Eva. He didn't seem angry, but she felt something, like a horror creeping across his face. Too bad she didn't get much acquainted with the guards, like she now wished she had.

Trying to ignore the stares, Eva went down the hallway towards the area she felt was the dining room, or rather the pavilion.

However, she was stopped on her tracks by the appearance of a familiar face.

"Miss Thuy?" said a startled Eva.

"Lady Molly," said Thuy, "I thought you had been told earlier… Please, we must go now."

"What?" Eva was taken by Thuy's hand but she grabbed the teacher's wrist, causing the Nourasian to turn to her. "What's going on?"

"You haven't been told?" Thuy slapped her forehead in seeming disgust. "You have to go back to your chamber immediately, my lady. It is not safe for you to be out here at the moment."

"What are you talking about?"

"There has been a rider who has come to our palace from the outside. He was bearing a message, but for now, please trust me. It would not do any of us any good if you linger out here with the rider in the palace at the moment. I have reason to believe this has something to do with the Humans, not you but the other humans out there."

"What?"

"I'll get one of the guards to escort you back. Please, for our sake, for the sake of the Prince, stay in your room until I send one of our pages to meet you."

"How-?"

"You will know. Now go with Shou."

At that moment a young male Nourasian signaled for Eva to come with him. She fallowed him down the same route. As soon as she was placed in her room she thought she could hear two people coming down the hallway, talking to each other. Regarding what the Knight had told her, Eva went back to her bed and tried to hide herself under the covers.

She felt like a complete moron under the covers, hiding from the likes someone she was sure wasn't going to kill her on sight. At least, that was what she had hoped that of the people of this planet. Aikka had always touted his people's pacifist nature, although as far as Eva had seen yesterday, they were also capable of some serious attacks, which made her wonder the true nature of the entire alliance of the Crogs and Nourasians… Which brought her back to a class back on Earth.

0000

"The exact nature of the Nourasian-Crog Alliance is much of a mystery," explained a tall middle-aged man with very short brown hair.

It was late autumn, around the time that frost started to show up on the dead leaves and the wind had a bitter tinge to it. Eva was sitting next to a window, though the cold sky did not interest her, merely what the teacher was saying peaked her interest. This was extremely rare.

"It's been confirmed that there was and still is an on-going alliance between these two peoples," he continued, as a new slide came up. Three words came up: power, safety, and resources.

"Now we can be quite assured that the alliance is forged on power," he continued, "as well as safety due to the fact that the planet of Nourasia has no true standing army. They do have what is called the Nourasian Knights, who are by definition not so much as knights or even samurai in the sense that we are used to but rather protectors of the planet. Not much is known about them… Yes, Miss Wei?"

Eva felt a bunch of eyes on her. Normally she never raised her hand in class, but today was special. How many times did she hear about Nourasia, and besides, someone who had known and met and befriended a Nourasian should be allowed to speak her mind about Nourasians, right?

"They – I know, from a friend of mine," she said, for she couldn't tell him it was Prince Aikka; no one would believe her if she told them she had a friend in an alien prince, "he said that Nourasian Knights, that they have large beetles, and they ride them. They also talk to their beetles."

There was some giggling and snickers from behind her.

"Now Miss Wei," said the teacher, his face in a sour disposition, "I know how much you are into Nourasian culture right now, but mixing them up with the Dragonriders is out of your jurisdiction."

"But-!"

"Seriously," he said, "there is no evidence for such an absurd notion!"

He went back to explaining the lesson: "Power comes in handy such as in the case of invasions and attacks made by Crogs have also used Nourasian spies and knights in their campaigns."

That can't be true, she thought to herself, making sure the jerk of a teacher wouldn't notice her somewhat shocked look.

"The Nourasians have always been a peaceful people" went through her head, as what Aikka had said. They lived by honor, but would they ever stoop so low…?

"The Crogs have also provided a good amount of protection for the Nourasian people, due to the fact that during the colonization periods when the ECSA launched the first in a line of colonization expeditions to other worlds, Nourasia was considered as a possible habitable planet. However, there were several conflicts between the colonists and the natives of the planet, which has led many to believe that this is the cause of the Nourasians eventual distrust of Humans soon after. It is also believed by many that there was a disturbance in the Holy City of Nourasia that also brought about the distrust and hatred. Apparently, the Nourasians felt that a great taboo had been broken and owing to their superstitious attitudes regarding outsiders, they came to the point where no outsider, especially a Human outsider is allowed into the sanctuary of Dol."

Although she was a little nerved by the fact that her teacher had called the Nourasians "superstitious" when she realized she had never met a Nourasian who wasn't too distrustful of her, yet, maybe his Fencing Master, but all went through in the end, she was more interested in the conflict that made Dol inaccessible to all but the people of Nourasia. What was so sacred about Dol?

"The last thing we will cover today is the dependency of the Crogs on the resources of the worlds they conquer and eventually enslave. The Crogs home planet as it has been documented is rather inhospitable by our terms, though the Crogs appear to move across its surface every now and then to set up camps and to enter the Crog Gatherings. There are no records of actual agricultural work, but it has been long speculated that most if not all of Crogs' agricultural work is done by other planets and are later shipped out. Although it would seem easy if these planets would shut off the supply of food and other resources to the Crogs, they would eventually defeat the Crogs; the actual case is sadly unsuitable in many cases. This is due in because of the Crogs being able to invade and eradicate an entire planet if they do so or worst. Essentially any planet caught in this situation is in a loose-loose situation all the way. Thus concludes our lesson…"

0000

Eva sat there on the bed, wondering what the messenger was doing here. A little grumble from her stomach told her she had missed breakfast, which made her a little annoyed at the moment. She rubbed her stomach absentmindedly.

Prince Aikka came into the throne room, a little tried and a tad annoyed at having to be woken up early in the morning. However, what he did not expect was a messenger bowing before his parents before standing up and being lead away to the other guest hall. He was surprised but did not make any sign of it. King Lao looked at him and signaled to him to come over. Prince Aikka nodded and came over before falling into a bow.

"Father," he said. "Who was that?"

"A messenger from afar," said King Lao, "which is the reason why I have asked for you to come here. Up, Aikka, you are not a stranger."

Aikka stood up.

"My son," King Lao said, "there has been a small request from my friend in Zhao..."

"King Azul?"

"Yes," said Lao, "the King of Zhao has been informed of the appearance of the… Girl."

Aikka froze.

"Who told him?"

"Lord Riiku, who travels by air, has informed the King of Zhao of the Human who has been transported to this world and wishes to see her for himself."

"What for?"

"Now Aikka, he is not thinking of anything foolish. It is just that there is a certain interest that King Azul has in visiting those who have visited the Kingdom of Dol. His sorcerer, Lord Riiku is interested much in your friend and would find it better to study her in his citadel."

"What? Molly is not a toy, she is a living being! Couldn't he just come over?"

"Do not question him. Soon he will be your ally and your in law…"

Aikka paled.

"What… What did you say?"

"Your in law. Have you forgotten about the marriage?"

"But…"

"As a cautionary, I will be sending Lady Terru with you, so she may better work with Lord Riiku on the matter of the young woman. And my son…"

"Yes, father." Aikka had been ready to leave. The thought of the marriage whirled through his mind a little. It was inevitable, but something was poking at his mind.

"I expect you to be on your best behavior, King Azul's trade agreements with the Crogs have sparred us much trouble, but your behavior during the Great Race of Oban nearly cost us our freedom and our lives. Once and once this girl returns to Human's World, you must forget her."

His heart dropped in his chest. It hurt inside, or at least something hurt him horribly, like he had been shot in the chest by one of his own arrows. Aikka nodded weakly and turned around. When he was out of his father's sight and hearing, Aikka stopped to look over a balcony to see a figure moving on the stairs around the side of the palace. Something fell from his cheek onto the rail, making him start a little. It was then that he realized that he was crying.

0000

Eva went to the balcony to get some air. Birds fluttered away from her as she went over to the wooden staircase that went around the outer wall.

If she couldn't go through the palace, then surely she could go around the outside. However, she was having some trouble knowing where to go. Then she heard it.

"Eva… Eva…"

Eva looked down to see something unexpected in the sash of her dress. The mirror she had nearly forgotten about was stuck in the sash poking out at her. She pulled it out and looked at it.

"Eva… You must save… Come…Come…"

"Come where?" asked Eva.

"Come… Come with the Prince… Come and save us…"

"Save you?"

"Save us… Save everyone… Stop… Stop him…"

"Stop?" she asked. "Stop who?"

"Find… Find me…"

"Eva what is happening?"

Eva started and nearly fell backwards… In the arms of someone she knew.

"Prince!" she cried when she saw Aikka's visage in her vision.

"Well princess," he asked he righted her up. "What are you doing out here?"

"You're asking!" Eva dusted herself off, placing the mirror in her sash again. "I've had to stay in my room all day."

"The day has not gone," said Prince Aikka looking at the blue sky.

"Well, technically wasn't allowed outside due to some messenger in the palace!"

"Oh! That."

He gave Eva his hand. She took it as they went down the stairs back to her room.

"We had a visitor today," said Aikka, "he was bringing news and there is something I need to tell you."

Eva suddenly blushed. If she knew what he was going to say, she was going to be the happiest person in the universe…

"Yes?"

"I need to go to the kingdom of Zhao," he said, "because there is a need for me there as well as you. You are to accompany me to Zhao to see the King there; his sorcerer may have some special powers to bring you back to your home. And one more thing."

Eva heard something mad, angry in his voice. It was troubling something in his eyes made her wonder if he had been crying.

"Yeah?"

"In a matter of days, if we are unable to bring you back to your planet, then I must hide you somehow from the Crogs."

"But I'll be safe here, I mean, no outsider can go into the City of Dol…"

"With some exceptions… The Crogs have demanded their presence at a ceremony regarding my ascension to the throne of Nourasia. You… I…"

"It's alright," she said, holding the prince.

Aikka tensed. There was a time when she had done this, not once either. Each time he had her around her, something made him feel… Like he had never felt before. But he couldn't be…

"Yeah," he said absentmindedly.

He didn't even notice that Eva had leaned onto him in a hug. All he could do was look at her and hug back. It felt good, really good to be with her.

0000

"Do you think he… likes her?" asked Canaan to the tall sorceress next to him.

Both the Fencing Master and the female mage were standing on a portico watching the Nourasian prince and the young woman upon the staircase below them. Lady Terru only turned to him and leaned in closer when she heard him.

"That I think we can only guess for now," she said.

"Hmp!" Canaan turned away and made a pout-like face. "You speak in riddles, nothing clear, always confusing. Perhaps we should call it into attention."

"His Radiance will be very displeased if he hears of this," said Terru. "However, it can not be denied for long."

"He will soon find out," said Canaan, "if he hasn't already."

"I fear he already has," she said, turning away from the balcony.

Canaan looked at the woman for a moment before looking down at the prince and the human. Now they had separated and were talking to each other although Canaan could not decipher what they were saying.

To be continued...

**Terms You might want to know...**

**ECSA: The Earth Coalition Space Agency. Just something I made up.**

**Crog Gathering:** I didn't make this up. It was in the 24th episode of OSR. Go look it up.


	12. Chapter 12: Journey to Zhao

Lost on Nourasia

**A/N: Forgive me for my lateness. I have had Spring Break and these chapters did not get finished over that time. I have a few done but not ready to be uploaded. **

**In other news, I have heard about a sequal to OSR in the works. At least I have heard. I do not know if it has been verified or not but for now we can all read fanfiction and watch the episodes over and over again.**

**The change of pace of this story is coming up so if you feel a tad confused I suggest reading the first chapters over again. As for how G'Dar can travel so fast, I have no idea. Until Savin releases a G'Dar care manual, I can only speculate.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own OSR. I also do not own a gigantic blue beetle. If I did, I would be able to fly anywhere I wanted.**

Ch. 12 "Journey to Zhao"

Many humans have been to Nourasia, almost none had gone to the Holy City, but fewer still had been to or even heard of Zhao, the Great City**(1)**. Zhao had been named well, after the Holy Mountain**(2)** of which it laid in the shadow of. It had been built on hilly ground, and not much could be farmed though, which was one of the reasons why not many people lived there at first. However, as the population of Nourasia grew, many started to live in the mountain city, many calling it home. Nobles and many who sought the high reaches took this place as their home. In sort, Zhao could be considered the most urban province on Nourasia, since the only people who lived there were not farmers or craftsmen, or even artisans. Instead, mostly those who only serviced more urban occupations lived there to support the populous only. And due to its local, very few modes of transports could be used freely in and out. To meet with that, Zhao had many streetcars and airships coming in and out rather than beetles, shika, imported horses, and gachas**(3)**, most of the first two were only used by those who had to use them inside the city or were knights in service of the king. With the Crogs alliance, Zhao became a place of refuge, even though it was known that King Azul had made a deal with the Crogs for trade.

Nevertheless, or rather needless to say, the High King, the King of Nourasia, King Lao was the one who had the hand in assuring that Zhao was well supplied and was kept safe. No one complained, and if they did, they sent their curses to the Crogs.

Wind blew past Eva and Aikka, causing their capes to flutter out behind them as they sat in the saddle of G'Dar. Eva's hair fluttered around her like a halo. Although the beetle has hardly above the tops of the trees, it still felt like she was high above the world. The fear of falling off of the beetle caused her to cling to Aikka much more.

"There really isn't any danger," he said.

"Huh?" Eva was a little confused.

"You wouldn't fall off, at least unless there is some kind of attack and I need to do some sharp maneuvers," he said.

"Oh..." she said this rather absentmindedly.

They flew faster over the tree line, then into the canopy itself. Eva held on closer despite all of what Aikka had said to her before. He was a little surprised and looked back at her. He gave her a smile before returning to see a large branch in his way. G'Dar instinctively closed his covers as they dipped low below the branch, making Eva cry out a little before wrapping her arms around Aikka. The prince cried out as well and bent down. Even when the danger was past, they still hung onto each other.

"Now you two," said a motherly voice.

Eva and Aikka started and slowly pulled away from each other. Lady Terru on her mount, which was a large, white falcon-like bird with golden eyes, flew by close then went away for a moment. A smile was visible on her lips.

They flew for a long time, over the green and brown expanses of the jungle, the blue and silver of the rivers and wetlands into the vast golden plains. For a moment Eva wished she had her camera with her. The wind blew gently at her hair.

After a long time, they started to enter the shallow oceans, at which G'Dar started to increase his elevation. Eva wanted to ask but G'Dar was given a power-up by Aikka, something she had seen during the Great Race, though for some reason it felt like it was much faster than the one she had witnessed on Alwas and Oban and she was taken aback when she could hardly hold onto the Prince. She tried looking around and noticed that Lady Terru's mount had done the same thing, though from what she saw, the bird had become a sleath-bomber shape of burning platinum and the lady herself could not be seen much. The ocean below became a blur of white and blue and green.

What's with this? She thought to herself, what's with the speed change?

The ocean did not last for long since within a few hours, the beetle and the bird disengaged although they were now entered another shallower sea, as she could tell from the coral under the crystal blue waves. A line of white appeared signaling a beach, though as far as Eva could see, there wasn't a soul on it. The beetle and the bird descended, but not too low. The area before them was nothing like the jungles of Dol, rather it was mostly scrubland and flat. Little hills started to form, then turning into rocky land and then strangely into small plots of green.

It looked all artificial as they entered an area covered in orchards and buildings. Tall towers reached for the sky and stone buildings, different from the ones in Dol sprung up everywhere. To Eva it kinda looked like the landscape of so many urban areas she had seen in traveling around Earth.

She realized their trip was ending because Aikka relaxed a bit on the saddle guide, and there was a huge palace looming before them. As Eva looked closer, it wasn't so much of a huge palace as it was built from the mountain, just like the Celestial Wind Palace. However, whereas the other palace had been built into the mountain without so much displacement, this palace had been built to stand out from the rest of the mountain so it appeared to be a man-made (ironically) structure rising from rock.

A large doorway appeared in the side where G'Dar glided in and landed in a large dome like arena with other beetles. Lady Terru and her bird fallowed soon afterward.

As if on cue, two finely attired Nourasian males came to the giant beetle and the bird, helping each person down. Eva noted that they were wearing clothing similar to the clothing worn in the court of Dol, but were as the clothing had not been as much embroidered, these were given fancy boarders and seemed more ornate. As they brought Eva down, they did not seem to show much surprise, hardly any in fact. Eva landed gently and walked around. All around her were a small number of giant beetles, all of them snug in their dens and very quiet. Something about that made Eva wonder, but Prince Aikka did not seem to mind as the both of them were greeted by a seneschal**(4)** in red. He seemed to be an elderly fellow, his hair gone grey before it's time with small bags beneath his eyes.

"Prince Aikka, Magistrate of Dol, Knight of Nourasia," said the seneschal, with a small bow, "Lady Terru, Mistress of the Water and Cloud Arts, I, Lord Imori of the House of Yomon, welcome you into the Stone Tower Palace. Come, come," he said as Eva came up to him. "It is not ladylike to be in the stables all day!"

Eva came up as fast as she could to the side of Prince Aikka. Lady Terru glided up to Eva.

"So you must be the Lady Molly of the Human's World," said Lord Imori as they walked down the hallway. "The King has heard much of you. You must be very tried from your journey to Zhao."

Outside, the sun was heading into the noon area. The inside of the great hall was distinctively different from the one in Dol, being that it had more decoration and their lights were made of another kind of crystal. Murals of heroic deeds covered the walls. Guards in armor stood at attention around the hall, never moving or doing much, which made Eva feel small, being used to the ease and kindly attitudes of the guards at Dol and the guards around the Wei building.

"You're rooms are in this wing, your radiance," he said with a bow as he brought the three into a very large room. "The King will see you soon. He is at business. Please take comfort here."

"Thank you," Eva said.

Lord Imori the seneschal, seemed to pale a little and hastily made a bow before exiting from the room.

They were left alone in the room, a clean large place with three individual beds with bright white sheets and blankets. Silky drapes hung from the ceiling. Lights shaped as sun motifs lined the upper wall.

"Very nice," whispered Eva walking around.

"This is the merely one of the guest rooms," said Prince Aikka. "I do not remember this one much since the last time I was in Zhao was when I was but very young, not much out of my crawling phrase as my mother says. The King of Zhao is known for having many visit the Stone Tower Palace, always for trading business though, rarely does he invite someone just on the basis of anything else."

"He's quite unlike a majority of kings out there," said Lady Terru, "as far as I'm concerned, he's alright. King Azul is responsible for keeping the Crogs at a distance, which is more than what King Lao was able to do."

"So he's done a lot for Nourasia," said Eva.

"Perhaps more so than my father," said Aikka with a little sadness. "But now we will have to rest. If the King is busy elsewhere, then perhaps it is good for our benefit to rest. It has been a long trip."

But Eva didn't hear the rest of it. She was fast asleep on one of the beds.

To be continued...

Terms:

1. Zhao, the Great City: Called so because of it's large buildings and it's mostly urban center as well as it's wealth, said to rival that of Dol (the Holy City) and Ein (city of scholars). Due to the fact that not much can be grown there, Zhao is the first and only truely urban center on Nourasia, not withholding the desert communes.

2. The Holy Mountain: Zao is the name of the god of mountains. He is a very protective diety. It is said he resides on the Holy Mountain which is one of the highest peaks on Nourasia (rivaling even Everest in its height). The tallest mountain is called Zha Leng, the Mountain of Dragons, which at it's submit actually nearly peaks into the thinnest oxygen possible.

3. Beetles, shika, imported horses, and gachas: Beetles refer to the exculsive mounts of the Nourasian Knights. No one else is allowed to (or can) ride them, due to their pshyic bond. Shika refer to the antelope creatures native to the steppes of the western islands who are bred mainly for riding. In appearance, Shika look very much like the red elk that Ashitaka rides in Princess Mononoke. Imported horses actually refers to horses that were left behind on a previous colonizing endevor by the Earth Coalition during the early years of human space colonization. Most are feral, but a few have been tamed and used as mounts, which Nourasians seem to prefer over shika. A herd of white horses are kept by the Nourasian Royal Family. Gachas actually refers to a species of llama like creatures the size of a small horse with soft hair. Naturally their hair is spoted brown and white on a dark brown background, but there are many varieties such as the pure white ones used in making clothing (due to their naturally soft fur), a mottled blue version, and a red variety that is breed exculsively in the southern islands. Gachas are not only used for their wool, but also for their meat, milk and for pack animals, since they very surefooted and can carry heavy amounts without complaint. However, there is one aspect of a gacha which is unlikable in that they will bite and kick if scared or angered.

4. Seneschal: The head of a major household in Nourasia. I used the French term owing that OSR was French produced and the fact that seneschal sounds so much better than majordomo or chamberlain as well as it sounds more suited to Nourasia than the previous examples.

**A/N: Hope you like it, please read and review.**


	13. Chapter 13: Disater in the Throne Room

Lost on Nourasia

**A/N: It's been a long time, but I did not get this chapter or the chapter soon after done for a long time due to school work and elsemore. I have as of now a lot of homework due and I may or may not be updating this for a long time. In other news, for last chapter I only got about two reviews. Is there some kind of slow down around for some reason. Oh yeah, with the entire school year ending I would say yes. Please read and review.**

**As for the mystery man in the mists, he won't be back for a few chapters, but when he does come back, he has a big plan.**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Oban. If I did, well, you don't need to ask to see what happens...

Ch.13 "Disaster in the Throne Room"

Rock Tower Palace had been well-named. It loomed high above the rest of the buildings in Zhao and was made from an assortment of rocks brought from afar as well as the original granite that served as a base for the palace itself. Unlike the Celestial Wind, it was mostly an enclosed space which was much better for the occupants, for Zhao was blasted with heat and cold day after day. Thus not much sunlight was seen, save for the glass windows that were placed in the areas that needed sunlight. The rest of the light provided was from the many crystal lamps powered by magic spells, rather than the natural light. Unlike the lamps at Dol, which were made to either look like flowers or raindrops, these were carved into more intricate shapes, like the sun motifs and the stars that lined the great halls and the guestrooms. The color palette of this palace also seemed to reflect a more austere rather than naturalistic feel for the Celestial Wind. Where as the Wind had soft shades of blue, grey, yellow and tinges of red, this had a darker, richer feel to the colors leaning towards one that seemed to impress rather than welcome.

To further make this statement more true, décor and even the guards and servants running around the palace seemed more austere than the art nouveau and somewhat Preraphlite mood of the people of Dol. If Eva had anything to compare Zhao and what she had seen of it in comparison to Dol, she would've picked industrial England to Preraphlite Camelot.

The servants she had seen wore mostly red of a dark shade she had associated with Aikka's ninja outfit on the night before the race in the womb of Oban. Their costumes where more suited to being inside of the palace, being that they covered every part of the body in a style reminesant of a kimono with the exception of the silk shoes rather than the sandals or the leather-hide shoes that she had always seen Nourasian's wear. Yellow accents seemed to be on every outfit, even on the armor of the guards, who wore so much that it covered their faces in masks of silver and crimson. Plumes sprouted from the back of the helmets reminding Eva of the old armors of knights of England and France. These guards also wielded heavy pikes, unlike the katanas and yari of the guards of Dol. Their lack of individuality also made them seem more dangerous at least in Eva's view. Neither Aikka not Terru commented much on that fact.

In fact, their silence regarding the entire place made Eva somewhat nervous. It seemed very quiet, no birds, no murmurs of the servants or the guards, and even no reciting of poetry to a teacher or a group of pupils got Eva's attention.

"It's so quiet," Eva said as they were lead down yet another hallway covered in plain boarders to the King's throne room.

"His Highness has always prided his kingdom upon being a much disciplined kingdom in lieu of the other kingdoms," said the seneschal as he led them down the hallway. "A kingdom who knows how to work and make good of itself is a kingdom of great importance."

"And Dol is not?" asked Lady Terru in a tone that could be sarcasm.

The seneschal made a croak but hid it quickly.

"Dol is the Holiest above all," he said, "let us not forget that." **(1)**

"Indeed," she said.

They reached a pair of heavy curtains of a fabric that looked like silk and parted them to let them in.

_You need to bow_, said Aikka to Eva in her head.

At once, they bowed before a figure shrouded behind a screen of red silk. The only thing that could be seen was the high back of a throne and a head covered in the long hair that symbolized kinghood amongst the Nourasians. Two other thrones sided the main one, though Eva was certain it did not hold the queen in either two. Along a dais, two servants knelt before the king.

"You may rise, Prince of Nourasia," said a commanding voice which Eva assumed to be that of the King's. "Sorceress of the Water and the Clouds, and the Earth Princess." **(2)**

As they did, the curtain separating them from the king parted and revealed a middle-aged man with white streaking his dark brown hair and a little of his beard, and two young Nourasians, one being a young woman near Aikka's age with a head of light brown hair tied into a bun with a cascade of wavy hair pouring from the back, and the other was a young man, older than the young girl with the same light brown hair, light enough to be a dark shade of blonde, wearing his hair in a generous ponytail down his back. All of them wore the white clothing of Dol, but they had some accents of red in their leather pieces and shoulder pads, while their capes were a dark red and heavy, much heavier in comparison to Aikka's cape. Their crowns reflected the look of the curving, whimsical design of the coronets of Dol but for some reason they seemed more rigid than curved. The young man starred at Aikka and merely arched his fingers together.

"Your highness," said Aikka, bowing again, "I am…"

"No need to introduce yourself," said the King, "Prince of Nourasia. You may rise."

"King Azul, King of Zhao and Protector of the Relic of Zhao and the Island of Ran," the King said, rising from his stead. He waved towards the two young Nourasians. "May I present my children, Prince Tekkan, Heir to the Throne of Zhao and the Princess Setsunna, Lady of Zhao and fiancée of…"

_Don't say that._

King Azul started a little and looked up. Lady Terru was starring at him with stern intent.

_Don't you dare say anything like that,_ Lady Terru said, trying to make sure no one could hear her. _You have no idea what that could do to this young woman here._

She motioned almost invisibly to the Earth maiden who was on one knee. She had been dressed in Nourasian attire, something that Azul had recalled had once been a nice dress that he had given to Queen Nori very long ago, before Aikka had been born, but had been restitched and made to fit a younger girl, a Human girl at that. However, the aura she had around her seemed unsure and as he read her face as her eyes turned to the Prince, he realized something was apparent.

He gathered himself up again and clasped his hands together.

"I see that you are all well rested," he continued as though nothing had happened.

"Indeed," said Prince Aikka, "your hospitality was fine and the guestroom was well suited for us."

"So this," he said turning to Eva seated before him in a wobbly kneeling position. "You are the Earth princess I have heard about recently?"

"I'm from Earth, but we don't exactly have many actual princesses," Eva said.

"Well here, I am told that you are something of a 'princess'," said King Azul, "especially amongst the Royal Family."

"Is it?"

"You call your highness," said a voice from the corner.

"Lord Rikku," said King Azul, "how welcoming it is to see you here!" Slowly, a tall and slight male Nourasia came from the corner, wearing a white robe with lining that mimicked grey steel. His hair was fine and white and he had but a well trimmed beard upon his chin, somewhat like Canaan's. His eyes were stormy looking, with a kind of intelligence that equated with that of Terru's mysticism. "This is the Earth girl we were talking about, here … um; excuse me my young lady, what is your name?"

"E- Molly!"

"That… is not your real name," said Riiku suddenly. **(3)**

There was a loud silence in the room. It seemed as though the world had stopped turning on it's axis at the end of his sentence. Eva froze.

_But how?_

"You are under an alias that the Prince was given," said the tall Nourasian. "Surprisingly, the Sorceress of Water and Cloud hasn't noticed yet?"

"She only uses it because the Prince likes it," said Terru, "if she wishes not to go by her real name…"

"Then she can not be fully trusted, can she?"

King Azul starred at Eva with a sour look.

"Perhaps she is hiding something from us?" he said.

"The only thing she is hiding is her own business," said Aikka.

"Aikka, I can defend myself!" Eva said, nearly cutting off the Prince.

"You did not call him by his proper title, how interesting?" Riiku was getting a little on her nerves.

"I know, I've been calling myself Molly, but my name is Eva. Eva Wei. It's alright, Aikka knows me by that name. I used it during the Great Race of Oban."

"Then why give yourself a pseudonym, young lady?" asked the King.

"Well it's a long story. I originally went to see my father; he left me in a boarding school for ten years. When I finally came back to him, he didn't even recognize me. I was so frightened I just gave myself the name of Molly. So that's how he knew me, as Molly all that time. He wised up to me, later on, and well… We got together, but not after some time of being mad and angry at each other…"

"That's all?" Riiku was really getting on her nerves, but Terru replied before Eva could say what was on her mind at the moment.

"I think we've heard enough," said Terru, "besides it is not polite to ask an honored guest about her relations between herself and a friend, now is it?" She stood up, brushed herself off and turned to Eva. "Now Mol-Eva, as I must call you properly, would you so kind to come with me?"

Eva looked at the King and his sorcerer. There was a faint twinge of painful anger swelling up in her throat.

"Yes, I would," she finally said.

Eva and Lady Terru turned around and walked away, leaving Prince Aikka with the King and his family.

"Prince!" Eva tried to call, but Terru moved her away from the scene.

The Prince could only look back and sighed.

"What an unbelievable, damn jerk!"

Eva threw a pillow across the room as Lady Terru watched her with sad eyes. She knew what this girl was going through; it was never easy to be in the same room as Riiku, even if he was a fellow acquaintance.

"Damn him! Stupid, stupid, stupid JERK!!"

Tears where coming from her eyes as she fell down on her bed, unsettling some hastily placed pillows in the process. Terru merely patted her on her back.

"My young girl," she said, "you must forgive Lord Riiku. Yes, he is somewhat of what you call a… Jerk, but he is not all that terrible. He has risen quite high in his position for a long time."

"He's mean," said Eva.

"So your real name is Eva, is it not?" Eva gave a slight nod. "Why were you giving yourself the name of Molly?"

"The Prince knows me by that name the best. I used that name during the Great Race because my dad…"

"Your father is a cold man?"

"He was, but he's warmed up a bit. He's still a little on the grumpy side, always worrying about me because…"

"You're his only real relative?"

"How…?"

"When I was growing up," Terru started as Eva sat up on her bed, "all I had was my grandmother and I. My parents had died during the Crog Invasion, that invasion took out most of the Royal Family, which is why his Young Radiance has only his mother and father and no grandparents, no aunts, no uncles, no one but himself to the throne."

A sense of realization came upon Eva as she realized Aikka's own plight. She had wondered why he was for her being Avatar or why he felt against being Avatar.

"It must be hard for him, to be the only heir to a kingdom."

"The True Kingdom," said Terru. "The one kingdom that rules over all others. If he had not come back from Oban, then we would've had to bring in one of the other princes to fill the throne, until perhaps another Royal Family is announced, but that is far too complex for now. My grandmother raised me for a long time until her own death. I would've been left on my own if it had not been for Riiku. He saw my talent and brought me up to the Council of Nine, which is the sorcerer's council."

Eva looked up at Terru. She had never thought of her as being helpless, she was so well rounded and able to help herself out in any situation, so it seemed. She knew what to say and how to work and how to be a person. Then again, Eva had a hard time imagining her new found friend as a young girl, less so a girl her own age.

"I – I know how you feel," said Lady Terru. "You said your father left you after the death of your mother, right?"

She had always hated that moment in her life. A nod came from the Earth girl.

"I have known loneliness, perhaps not loneliness akin to yours but a loneliness none the less," she said. "Do not judge him too sharply, he has given a rough time as well, having to serve the King of Dol and witnessing his death at the hands of –"

"Not Lao!"

"No, let me correct myself, it was Lao's father, who was Aikka's grandfather, a grandfather he will never know, who was killed by the Crogs. I guess the Crogs had thought they could subdue the Nourasians through the death of their king, without knowing that Queen Lhasa had taken the young heir and hidden him from the Crogs. Although in the end they managed to take some control, they had conquered our world. And because we are a peaceful people and had foreseen defeat and eventual extinction at the hands of the Crogs we declined a war and had to come to terms as their allies. No one is an ally by choice; if we had fought the Crogs, we would've been destroyed ourselves." She then looked at Eva. "The same is true of the Humans if they ever got into a war between themselves and the Crog Imperium."

"Good luck giving that advice to the government," Eva said, "everyone's unaware of the role that both of the Avatars have played in the wars."

"Born lucky I suppose?"

"Dumb luck, really. The next time the Crogs attack, I really don't think that we would be so lucky…" **(4)**

Terru looked at her sadly but then smiled.

"You did defeat General Kross single handedly, did you not?"

"Who? Oh yeah, but that was in a race."

Terru leaned in closer to her.

"Not too many people, let alone a single Human or Nourasian, can say they took down a Crog general and lived to tell the tale."

Eva seemed to feel something, a spark of optimism, one she had not felt in a long time.

"I suppose you are right." Eva took off from the bed and into the bathroom.

"I do apologize for the rough treatment by Lord Riiku," said the King of Zhao to the young Eva Wei.

They were seated in a council room while Prince Aikka had been given some downtime with the prince and the princess. Eva was a little worried about the fact that Aikka was not with her, nor was Terru, who was now with Riiku in the Tower of Air to work on a way to get Eva back to Earth. Even though she hadn't the heart, Eva didn't want to leave Nourasia, at least not now with Aikka…

"Lady Eva, I should say? Are you alright?"

Eva felt herself waking up from her thoughts and turned to King Azul.

"Yes, yes, thanks," she said, "I'm alright. I was just… thinking."

"Of who?" asked the King.

"Ai- Prince Aikka." She really wasn't so afraid of talking about this to the old man.

"That seems very, very unusual for a young lady of your standing…"

"Oh believe me, your majesty, on Earth almost everyone is reared on that fairy tale stuff."

King Azul was a tad confused, but then Eva laughed.

"I'm joking," she said, "anyways, it should be as to no surprise that we're best friends."

"You and the crowned prince?"

"Yes, we did after all raced together on both Alwas and Oban."

"I see," King Azul rubbed his head. He had no expected that. Perhaps he needed to speak to King Lao about this, especially concerning the upcoming marriage.

Just then the Seneschal came in, before giving a low bow.

"Your highness," he said. "The Ambassador Ral from the Kingdom of Miwa **(5)** approaches."

"Very good, send him in," he said as the Seneschal bowed and exited the room.

"You may not be interested in this, young lady," said King Azul, "but that is not the reason why you should leave."

"What do you mean?" asked Eva.

"Although you are a good person, that much I have inferred from the Prince," he said, "the people of Nourasia are still somewhat if not less inclined to seeing a Human amongst them, especially not after the great siege…"

"What great siege?" she asked.

"That is not for now," he said, "here, one of my guards can escort you to your room."

"But I've seen this place. I mean, I don't need an …"

"Here, all young women are accompanied by escorts. It is law and custom."

Before she could mutter anything else out, Eva was taken away by a guard dressed in bronze armor. King Azul watched and looked around.

"Thank the gods the Crogs have not come back," he said hastily.

Like always, Aikka was being teased by Princess Setsunna.

"Come on, my Prince," she said, "you must be interested in seeing the gardens. Father felt that these star lilies **(6)** would be beautiful for the palace!"

_Gardens again?_ Aikka did not much like this place. There were hardly any animals except for the mountain birds and scrub cabbits, and they were the only real native animals to this place. The garden, called the Lay of Golden Lilies was no more native to this place than a peacock amongst pigeons in New York. It was filled with cultivated flowers and plants from every Kingdom it seemed. Neatly trained birds sat amongst the flowers or in the branches of several fruit trees, singing or ruffling their feathers. A few fat dodomis **(7)** were warming themselves on the stone benches along the walkway.

To Aikka, who had spent so much of his free time amongst the ruins, the jungle and the beetles, it felt as though he had been pushed straight into a world neatly trimmed and groomed for him… like his bride-to-be before him.

She was dressed in flowing white, delicate and fragile, her hair done in a way that made her look like she was surrounded by a halo of light brown, not brown to be considered the color of earth but a brown that was close to creamy coffee. Her eyes were akin to sapphires and twinkled in the sunlight.

It seemed a stark contrast to someone else he knew. Midnight black hair topped by a splash of a shade of red comparable to that of a sunset lily, cut or chopped so that it was mostly short and not too long or cumbersome. Her eyes also reflected that same red, but in a way that compared them to rubies in contrast to his own shapire blues. She, at the time had been dressed in simple attire, suitable for her role as a racer; overalls and a short shirt, done in earthy colors. And of all things to set her off were the choice of her markings, a star and a stripe, as though she had been chosen to be sent to the stars and grab glory…

"Prince, my prince, look how cute they are?" said a sweet and kind voice, jarring him from his daydream.

He looked down to see Princess Setsunna seated on a bench and stroking a particularly fat dodomi who opened its eyes just a slit and yawned.

"Isn't he cute?" said Setsunna with her cheery smile. "We call him Chubchubs."

Aikka smiled and stroked the little creatures. As he did, an image of him becoming fat and soft and bored came to him.

_I'm going to end up like this little dodomi_, he thought.

The difference was, while the dodomi was happy being pampered and feed and loved, he would never submit. He would be locked into his throne as a young age, what would happen to G'Dar he never would know, then again, only a small amount of Nourasian kings had been knights in their youth, but never truly Nourasian Knights. If they had, they probably died before taking the throne, since as Aikka know realized their duties would keep them away from their mount, away from their honorable duties and away from nature for days, weeks, months, perhaps years at a time. Another thought came to him as to what if G'Dar was severed from him…

_By the will of the gods no!_

A long time ago, Prince Aikka had seen and met such a Knight named Rend who had to see his beetle be put down due to injuries suffered during a mishap race. The beetle had been lacerated beyond the repair of the healers around them and died pitifully. Rend, as Aikka remembered left Dol several days after the death of his mount, but was not the same ever again. One did not need to know about his unfortunate accident, one merely needed to look. As he remembered, it was like looking at a man missing half of his body. At the time he never knew why, but later on realized that he could see that with his heart and soul… **(8)**

"Prince Aikka, you're making him shed so much!"

Aikka looked down to see the dodomi awake and fairly annoyed looking, slowly blinking its eyes and making a slight growl. His hand was covered in statically charged fur that had been shed off of the back of the dodomi. Princess Setsunna placed her hands up to her mouth and giggled. Aikka looked at her.

_Like a young maiden_, he thought, _she's trying to emulate the maidenly ideals of this age, but why do I not…_

Suddenly she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him ever so lightly on the cheek. He was taken by it but not apparently to what she wanted. He just stood there like a stone statue looking around him at the carefully trimmed flowers and trees.

This is nothing like he had wanted. Trying to imitate the splendor of the old times, trying to be a romantic without true romance. He had read the tales, but it was never a prince falling in love with a princess. It was a prince falling in love with a maiden fallen from the stars.

The Star Maiden.

To be continued...

Terms and notes:

1. Dol is considered the Holy City in relitivity to the other great cities, even if they have sacred centers, such as with the Holy Mountain and Zhao.

2. Titles of the following characters: Aikka is the Prince of Nourasia; he is never refered to as the Prince of Dol. Sorcererss of Cloud and Water is the title of Lady Terru, due to her powers coming from water. The Earth Princess is Eva's title due to the fact that she is from Earth.

3. The power of truth-seeking. Riiku uses this power the most of all.

4. The entire dialogue here explains the very point that I feel should be pressed more in the event of when the Crogs happen to invade Earth again (like they will). I guess the Earth Coalition believes itself to be big and mighty due to the fact that they "fought" and "defeated" the Crog Imperium on two different occasions. Well, they happened to have been helped by the Avatar. I doubt highly that the Avatar would intervene on the account of the Crogs invading a third time. It would be lucky for the Crogs (perhaps, but then again, third time's the charm), but unlucky for Earth.

5. Miwa: a western kingdom, it is known for it's poets and its seas.

6. Star Lilies: A kind of yellow and white flower that has a luminous quality to it. It grows in bunches and gives off a smell similar to vanilla creme. Grows only in Nourasia.

7. Dodomi: a furry terrestial mammal similar to a marmot in size and a dormouse in appearance and very tamable. Nourasians keep them as pets, since they also tend to keep people warm durring the cold Nourasian nights.

8. One of Aikka's "senses" allows him to see into a person's feelings and spirit. That's why he was friendlier towards Molly in the begining of the Oban series.

**Please read and review. Reviews make me write more.**


	14. Chapter 14: The Princess and the Pilot

**_Lost on Nourasia_**

A/N: Sorry about not updating in the past couple of weeks. I've been busy and I haven't found a good start to the next chapter. I am working on it and I promise to unlease the first of my real ocs. I will not tell you who this oc is, but this person is a part of the little trio of Joshi, Liang, and Nyree. Guess who it is.

Anyways I did hear something about there being a confusion about the wedding? Well you'll find out what this is all about in this chapter. So please read and review.

Ch. 14 "The Princess and the Pilot"

The morning came with a new set of clothing, this being a full dress of white with an empire waist. A single ornament of a strip of brown cloth with swirls indicative of vines fell down in the front. A pair of leather sandals and a crisp clean pair of tabi were laid out for her to wear. To top it off, there was a kind of headband of shell with speckles reminensant of tortoiseshell for her to put into her hair.

She got dressed and brushed her hair.

"I'll have to ask if I can take a bath sometime," she said to herself as a knock on the door signaled the arrival of a servant.

He calmly showed her to place at the table where a breakfast, not too different from the one in Dol was laid out for her, the Prince, and Lady Terru. The other Royals were no where to be seen.

On a totally unrelated note, Eva noticed that Nourasians didn't eat a lot of meat, since their breakfast was devoid of any meat product.

"I wonder where the Royals went." Eva asked.

"His highness, King Azul and his family had their breakfast at an earlier time," answered another man in the red livery that seemed to signal the statue of being a seneschal in Zhao. He was much younger than Lord Imori, with brown hair and pale blue eyes. "I am Lord Ull, son of Lord Imori; I will be your attendant in the Great City and the Rock Tower Palace."

"Nice to meet you," said Eva with a slight bow.

Lord Ull returned the gesture when all of them did likewise.

"It is a pleasure to meet an actual human," he said. "You must be very interested in Nourasia. However, there is one thing I must tell you."

"What is that?" she asked.

"You can not leave the castle on any given circumstances without a cover or a male escort at any given time," said the young man, "it is by law and by the sake of our own country that you do."

"How come?" she asked, making Aikka and the young Seneschal start.

Lady Terru glanced at Eva for a moment, but thought nothing more.

_Such a strong feeling,_ she said to herself.

"It is by the traditions of Nourasia of course," said the young Seneschal. "His radiance should know as well."

"I don't think I've heard of that rule," said Prince Aikka. "Even if it was a tradition of Nourasia, it must rarely be enforced, since I know young women who walk throughout the city of Dol and never have to take a man to her side. Even then it would be kind of ridiculous, I mean, if your only male companion was a young boy, what good is that?"

"I can defend myself, if that's what you mean," said Eva, "other than that…"

"It is a law that covers Humans and Nourasian women equally," Lord Ull said, cutting Eva off, "and I would advise you to uphold those laws least you be harmed in any way or disturb the good people of Zhao."

"I wouldn't be…" That was when it struck her as to why she would have to follow that rule. Unlike in Dol where she had been kept inside of the Palace, away from prying eyes, Zhao was probably a place that had not seen much in the way of Humans. She had believed that all Nourasians would've had a more welcoming aura to them; that they would've allowed her into their hearts at least. But here, with the clime and the attitude she had felt coming from the Nourasians in regarding Humans, as though something horrible had happened a long time ago made her think otherwise.

_I wonder what made them distrustful of Humans in the first place,_ she wondered to herself.

King Azul had spoken of a "siege", something she had never heard before in her life regarding Nourasian and Earthen politics, history or the like. **(1)**

Meanwhile outside of her thoughts, Lord Ull was speaking again; as though Eva had complied with the rule about her being lead around by a male guardian was now justified by her.

"Now for today," said Lord Ull, "his majesty has scheduled a meeting with his radiance, Prince Aikka of the Holy City in order to confirm a renewal of the alliance. Lord Riiku has scheduled a meeting with the Lady Terru, the Sorceress of Clouds and Water to his tower on the matter of bringing the Human girl back to her own world. And as for you, Lady… Eee-va is it?" There was a quick nod from Eva. "Ah yes, the Princess Setsunna has asked if you would like to come with her today. Her highness is very interested in you, young lady."

Eva shrugged her shoulders, half realizing at the last moment that it would've seemed rude to do such a thing in the gaze of these people. Lord Ull merely clasped his hands together.

"Until then, I will be seeing you later in the day," he said, giving a deep bow.

* * *

In her chambers, Princess Setsunna starred into the full length mirror, making sure her dress fell right and her hair was well and prepared. She had let it out in a wavy cascade down her back, which she liked. A few maids came in and helped her into her cloak, as well as two hairdressers who were busy placing her favorite ambrez pins to hold her hair back.

"What lovely hair you have today, Princess Setsunna," said a happy maid in her near pink dress as she brushed her hair back, "it's so long it nearly touches your ankles!"

Setsunna made a slight laugh. In truth her hair was quite long, but only long enough to barely hit the back of her thighs. The maids placing her cloak on commented on the lovely shade of her eyes.

"Such a pretty shade of blue," said a young maid with nearly carrot colored hair, "a nice contest to that Human girl's eyes."

Princess Setsunna tilted her head a little.

"The Human girl?" she asked, a little confused as the other maids looked at the young girl with dagger eyes. "I am ever so curious, what is she like?"

The young girl, ignoring the icy stares of her companions continued.

"She has red eyes I have seen, while she was washing her face last night," she said. "And her hair is blacker than night without stars."

"But there's a disgusting red mess on the top of her head," said another maid, this one with dark brown hair. "And she has these markings on her face, like one of those princesses from the Kingdom of Miwa." **(2)**

"That's not a bad thing!" cried another young woman. "I heard a rumor about her though; she beat the prince in some race." **(3)**

"I wonder what that means."

"Maybe," teased Princess Setsunna, "on Human's World, when a woman beats a man in a race, they have to marry each other!"

The maids and the princess laughed heartily, until there was a knock on their door. A male servant came in and bowed before showing the subject of their conversation in – the Lady Eva.

The princess looked over the young girl with some curiosity.

Before her was a girl becoming a young woman, like her in a way, but as a Human. Her hair, like how the maids had described her, was black as night without stars with a splash of red on the top. The girl was many shades paler than she was, with likewise, a marking apiece on her face, but unlike the facial markings of Miwa, these had more shape, being a star and a stripe. There was an exotic beauty about her, which Setsunna couldn't describe fully. The one thing that stood out for her was her eyes, red as her own were blue. It made her wonder what force could've created such a being, but she closed her eyes and bid the maids farewell.

"So you are the Earth Princess," said Princess Setsunna, bowing a little. "I am Princess Setsunna Faa Zhao, Duchess of Ilia."

"Well, someone calls me that," Eva mentioned offhanded, as she bowed in reply to the Princess. "My name is Eva Wei, of Earth."

"The Human's World," gasped Princess Setsunna, as the maids around her murmured in peaked interest.

"Yes, I guess," said Eva.

With a gentle smile, Princess Setsunna came to Eva and took her hand.

"You must be interested in our kingdom," she said, "come, there is much to show around the palace."

* * *

All of her life, Eva had been used to walking or riding her rocket-seat from place to place. Thus she wasn't too tried from walking through what had to have been one of the largest and well-kept (at least in her opinion) gardens she had ever seen or for that matter, been in.

A literal cathedral of tree branches covered the sky above their heads. Pink blossoms bloomed amongst bushes and clumps of beautiful lilies. There was a fragrant breeze as they went through a pathway. Birds, some with long tails others like jewels fluttered around as butterflies the size of dinner plates floated in the breeze. A few small animals gathered around a warming stone set in a spot of sunlight. Eva smiled as a small yellow butterfly lit upon her nose as they both stopped by a fountain.

"This is so beautiful!" said Eva.

"Really," she said, "I thought Humans had created places just like this with even more impressive results."

"No," Eva said softly, "no, nothing like this."

The Princess smiled and sat upon a stone bench encircling the fountain. She then beckoned to Eva to do the same. When she did, the Princess smoothed out her dress.

"I have heard so many different things about the Humans and the Human's World," she said, looking into the sky. "Is it true that you have ways of flying, without aide of a beetle?"

"We have airplanes, airbuses, and various other aero craft," replied Eva, without realizing what she was saying. "If that's all you wanted to know."

"Ahhh, so all Humans must be magicians!" she exclaimed.

"No, no I really wouldn't say that," Eva blushed in embarrassment, but then paused.

_So they think Humans are magicians?_ She thought to herself and then smiled. _Well they don't have airplanes or computers here, so maybe to Nourasians Earth really is a magical place!_

"Well, that you mention it," said Eva, but someone interrupted her.

"My highness, what brings you to the gardens today?" asked a small wizened man with long ears.

"Master Gardener," she said, "so pleasant to see you today."

"Well it isn't always that you prance around in this garden with – a guest," the old man looked at Eva and then smiled. "You'll be in good hands. No one would dare enter these gardens to harm thee, child."

Eva smiled. The old Nourasian reminded her a little of Ned back at the Stern Boarding School.

"Your gardens look so lovely today, Master Gardener," said Princess Setsunna, "like everyday, how do you do that?"

"They don't care me a green thumb fer nuthin'," he smiled as he held out one of his thumbs in a thumb's up.

Like Ned, Eva thought to herself.

"Now, your brother has mentioned that Lady Ee-va is it? Yep, Lady Ee-va you are to not go outside of the castle walls, and there is another thing."

The two girls looked at him strangely.

"Well, m'lady Setsunna," he said, "would the Golden Lay look lovely with Sunburst roses or golden moonlight lilies," he said, cracking an aged smile. **(4)**

"Hmmm," Setsunna laid a finger on her lower lip and then stood up straight. "All I can say is that they would both look lovely. And just in time for the wedding!"

"Wedding?" asked Eva, curiously. "Your wedding?"

"Yes," said Princess Setsunna, as the old man clambered away out of sight, "it will be a beautiful wedding. It will have no rain, since Zhao is always sunny during the summer. However, I think it will be happening elsewhere due to the circumstances of the Crogs."

"They're still here?" Eva then remembered the little conversation she had with Aikka before they left for Zhao. "Yeah, Ai- Prince Aikka was telling me that the Crogs might be coming to his ceremony."

"I hope not the wedding," said a saddened Setsunna. "They would make the entire ceremony so sad and dreary."

"Don't worry," she said, patting the Nourasian Princess on the shoulder. "I'm very sure they won't come."

"But if they come to the Prince of Nourasia's ceremony, then they will come to our wedding!"

Suddenly the world became still for Eva.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"Our wedding," said Princess Setsunna. "Prince Aikka and mine."

"But how?" asked Eva.

"We were promised at an early age," she said, oblivious to Eva's emotional breakdown of sorts.

"He – he never even told me," said Eva.

She looked at the Princess. She was sweet and gentle, her face with a mask of concern coming over it. Eva looked down, tears coming up.

"I'm so sorry," Eva said, trying to hold back tears. "I have to go."

Princess Setsunna looked puzzled and confused. Eva closed her eyes and ran off away from the princess, away from the birds and the trees, and the flowers.

She did not stop running until she felt she was away from everything and everyone. Alone in the shade of an orchard of purple flowers, she sat down on the cool ground and curled up in a ball. She felt tears on her face, without realizing what was going on.

To be continued...

**A/N: **So now you know about the entire wedding thing. So what's next? I'm not telling. You need to wait to find out. Read and review.

**1. **The "seige" spoken of a few times will be explained later on in the story. It has to do with the second story I'm thinking up of as well.

**2. **Miwa women often wear facial tatoos, especially if they have become Nourasian Knights or healers. Married women wear a tatoo on their lip somewhat like what the queens of Naboo wear. Their tatoos however, resemble lines or spirals rather than actual shapes.

**3. **The news of Prince Aikka being beaten on Oban (not the race on Alwas) by the Earth pilot Molly is well known, even if the name of the said pilot is omitted.

**4. **Sunburst Roses and Golden Moonlight Lilies: Not even remotely related to Earth roses or lilies, these flowers are favored for their radient color and sweet scent. Sunburst roses are actually pretty large, an average blossom is the size of a dinner plate and is often the flower given to giant beetles to feed on. Golden Moonlight Lilies are the color of the brown/bronze moon of Nourasia and only bloom under moonlight. They are noted for their scent which is simialr to lemons.


	15. Chapter 15: Misery

**A/N: The first draft of this chapter did not please me well. It just didn't fit into what I had planned out and how the ocs should be introduced. And it left many gaping holes in the narrative. So I rewrote it, sorry for the long hold up. Please enjoy and comment. Comments make me write more.**

Ch. 15 "Misery"

She had found herself in the guestroom, on her bed, crying like she had not done so since her mother died. However, as she wiped away a few tears with her bell sleeve remembering, she had felt true sadness at the loss of Aikka…

The name caused some tears to well up and forced her to close her eyes and hang her head.

_He should've told me_, she thought to herself. _Why didn't he tell me?_

Her fists curled up and shook as anger and sadness absorbed her.

_Why, why WHY?_

For the first time in a long time since the end of the race, she was angry at Aikka. It was worst than when he had mistrusted her, when he shot her down during the snowy wastes race, than even during the times she believed he had truly forsaken her…

And yet, she still believed in him. Strangely, it was always easier to believe in Aikka, to trust and to even, yes, even call him a friend, even in the worst of times. Even during the times he had done wrong, he was still a friend, never the opposite. He was easier to trust than her father who had abandoned her, or her gunner, Jordan, who had been unkind to her from the beginning, and had cared for her far enough to throw away his foolish-

"What am I kidding?" she said to herself. "It's always the same. A prince marries a princess, never some common girl. At least I had thought… I had thought he would've cared more than a friend for me, but I guess Jordan was right. I am a fool, I should've played hard to get."

She fell down on her side, sobbing quietly, not even noticing the two people entering the room.

"She's still crying," said the voice of Lord Riiku, "she was like that when you brought her in and she is still like that now as we speak."

"I have no idea what has gotten into her," said Lady Terru though in heart she knew she was lying. Hopefully Riiku would not notice.

Lord Riiku came up to the child and shook her shoulder.

"Get up my child," he said, "we have something very important to tell you."

"You do?" asked Eva between sobs.

"Stand up," Lady Terru said as the girl sat up on the bed. "We have found a way to bring you back to your own world."

At first Eva did not register what was being said.

"What?"

"There is a spell that can be recited in order to bring you back to your own world," said Riiku, "but there are some restrictions on it."

"Restrictions? What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Eva, a considerable amount of time has gone by on Earth while you stayed with us on Nourasia," explain Lady Terru. "In fact, when you arrive back on Earth, you will find out that in the amount of time that you have been gone has doubled on Earth. You might experience a kind of missing time…"

A sudden realization came over Eva. What about her father? How long had her stay in Nourasia lasted on Earth? Would anyone think she was still alive?

"I… I see," she said softly.

"And one more thing," continued Terru. "You must be brought back to the very same spot you came to Nourasia on. And that would mean going back to the ruins his Radiance loves to explore so much."

_The ruins…_

Eva's head filled with the sense of an impact, a whole can of worms that was about to unleashed. The implications, the questions came to her as well as the despair of the sense that she had been gone without notice. Her father would not, couldn't handle something of this magnitude, not with her mother's death. He would collapse like a stack of cards. And the others… Eva could not think of what was to happen to them or how their reactions would be like.

But the lingering notion of her lot with Aikka came back. A few tears came to her eyes. How could he, how could he have not told her?

"We will go back to Dol by morning, dearest," said Lady Terru, trying to help her, "in the meantime, please, it is not as terrible as it sounds."

000

Prince Aikka sat there in the spot of sunlight, wondering how he would explain it.

The Princess had already told him of Eva's "_mysterious_" reaction to the news of them being married. Of course, he knew better than to believe it was just "_mysterious_", he knew what was going on.

Both of them.

A shudder came to him, realizing what he had done to Eva, the one person he knew he had feelings for, even if he didn't want to show them. The one he kept running after even when he realized everything would fall apart. He would have to fight for her, if time came, but now…

_She'll never trust me again_, he thought to himself.

True, there were times he had been somewhat surprised at her overall trust of him, even through the roughest of circumstances. He had believed she had betrayed his trust, his kindness and yet never truly dismissed him as her enemy, barely so even when times seemed to show her response as being akin to her "_partner_".

How odd that he never actually understood what kind of relationship was there between Eva and Jordan. He at first believed them to be brother and sister, but that was quickly dispelled in two weeks or so. The whole "_partner_" thing that Jordan kept referring to seemed possessive and strange to him, to see a male so overly protective of a female who showed no interest in him whatsoever the circumstances. Eva, or Molly as he had known her then, was like fire and wind, always out of grasp, untouchable, unattainable. Even when you had her in your sights, she was gone. Maybe that was why she was such a great racer.

_No one can catch you…_

_Not even her partner could catch her_, he thought to himself. _That's why he was so protective of her._ And like fire, she could burn, and burn she did.

Aikka was feeling that burn as he sat there realizing what was going on. He had did his best to ignore the things his father said that all Nourasian princes had to go through, that to be married was not something to be taken lightly but to insure the next generation of royals. How he had often felt like a puppet at times, being lead around by his father to being lead around by his teachers, to being lead around and threatened continuously by the Crogs. It sickened him that he had gone on with it, but with Eva, Molly, he had felt like an actual person.

_Now she hates me_, he thought, _I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life._

But then something came over him.

_No_, he said to himself, _I'm not going to hate myself; I'm going to do something._

He left the seat and rushed into the main palace.

_Molly you will not leave Nourasia like this!_ He said to himself. _I'm going to do something I should have done a long time ago..._

To be continued...

**A/N: sorry for it being shorter than usually, but that's what came to me. Next time, a new character and some surprising discoveries about her...**


	16. Chapter 16: Friend of a Friend

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay. I have had a lot going on with school and stuff. So it's my senior year, horray for me! I know some people have not updated in a long time, but I will be uploading new chapters in the future. This story has an end! Fear not.  
**

**Oh and read and review. Reviews make me write more.**

Ch. 16 "Friend of a Friend"

Nyree had been waiting all day for the first signs of the beetle and the cloud hawk to arrive at the Celestial Cloud Palace. And her ceremonial robes were getting a tad itchy.

"Stop fidgeting, my child," said Canaan, her father as he stood there with the King and Queen on their thrones.

"It's getting hot," complained Nyree, making a little pouting face as she did.

"Nyree! You are much older than the Prince," Canaan said, surprised. "He does not pout, nor does he cry."

_Oh yes he does_, Nyree said to herself, _but not in front of you_.

Canaan merely folded his arms as Thuy came up by his side.

"So how fares our prince?" she asked. Canaan's face betrayed a sense of annoyance that Thuy quickly picked up, dampening her mood. "So he's late, again."

"I would not say 'late', Thuy," said Canaan, "I'd say he was taking his good time."

Thuy sniffed the air.

"The wind is blowing against them," she mentioned. "That could be a factor…"

"The Prince! The Prince arrives!"

Quickly the assembled crowd looked up at the sound of one of the guards crying out in surprise as two shapes started to grow bigger in the sky.

"See, good timing," Canaan grinned.

"You were lucky," said Thuy, shrugging her shoulders.

"You owe me a lunch," he whispered.

They kept with a little bit of bickering while the blue beetle and the snow white eagle landed in the stables, and even as the riders dismounted. Nyree smiled warmly.

_Aikka_, she said to herself, _you're back. I'm so glad you're back._

She watched them as the tall figure of Lady Terru and the regal bearing of Prince Aikka came up the stairs… followed by one strange figure who seemed rather sad and at the same time resentful. Nyree looked at the new figure, trying to figure out who or what she was and why she doing here.

"I see you have noticed the Prince's companion," said Canaan, much to Nyree's surprise.

"Companion?" she asked.

"The Earth girl he befriended, the one he has become quite attached to," said Canaan, "he did tell you of Molly, did he not?"

Yes, now that she realized it.

It had been so many times he had spoken of the Earth girl he had met on Alwas and Oban, of how she inspired him and made him rethink his honor. She had only taken it in as much as a cabbit would take in a carrot, without much to do about the why and how of the situation, ignoring the hints that he could be involved with the Human in a way she would…

No, he would not abandon her for the Human. After all, she was his bodyguard, and no one could replace her… At least now.

Speaking of bodyguards…

"Where's Toku and Joshi?" asked Nyree.

Canaan gave a weird look and then closed his eyes as though in relief.

"They're in the stables with their mounts," said Canaan, then after a slight pause, he cocked one eyebrow, "or they're messing up again."

Nyree made a silent giggle.

_Oh they would be_.

Joshi and Toku were her friends from the dojo they had trained at, with Prince Aikka. Both of them hit it off as friends quickly and became the pranksters of the school in no time flat. In the years they had been together, they had been responsible for a majority of pranks and not so serious injuries regarding tiny firecrackers, beetle fodder and buckets of dirty water from the stables. Canaan, despite being Nyree's father, had been more than once the target of their pranks, though never truly malicious, it had caused Canaan to never leave them alone without giving them a task to fulfill. As of yet, they had never followed even the simplest of instructions given to them by Canaan.

_And they never will_, thought Nyree.

Her eyes settled on the Earth girl again. The girl seemed down, depressed, _but why_?

At last all three came upon the Royals and knelt down on the ground before them. King Lao motioned them to stand up again, which they did automatically.

"My son, you must be so tired," said the King, again with his usual public kindness towards his son. It was a rare sight to see, and it made her happy whenever she saw his face lighten up. But as she looked at Aikka's face, he had sadness upon it she had never seen before. He didn't do much, just look at his father and nodded before going off with Canaan and her by his side. As Nyree took her position at his left side, she turned to see the Earth girl standing alone with the mage. She had a kind of hidden rage under her red eyes, something akin to a wild beetle caught in one of the wire traps that the Crogs often "left" out in the jungle. But it was sad as well. _Just as sad as Aikka's face_.

Nyree turned to Aikka and her father as they started into the inner palace.

"Aikka, my Prince," she said, "are you well?"

"Yes, my prince," said Canaan, "the trip must have been very tiring for you. Perhaps a little rest in your chambers would do you well before we start on your fencing?"

Aikka managed a weak smile before turning to either of them.

"I would rather that I be alone," said Aikka, "it has been a long day for me. And for the Earth teen."

Nyree cocked an eyebrow at the mention of the Earth girl, despite how casually it sounded coming from the Prince. Canaan just sighed.

"You are wasting your thoughts on her again," he said. "Do not fret about her, my Prince."

He gave the Fencing Master a sour look before heading off to his room. Nyree could only cross her arms in front of her and sighed. She looked at her father who seems rather stony in his face, cold and distant.

"The prince, he has been this way before," said Canaan, "but I had assumed it was because of his upbringing. I had thought it was because he had always been able to do as he pleased."

"You know Prince Aikka has always enjoyed the company of his friends," said Nyree. Suddenly she placed her hands on her hips. "You didn't happen to upset that Earth girl, did you?"

Canaan took in a sharp intake of air with a startled look upon his face.

"NO! No, I didn't do anything at all!" he said. "She was like that when I saw her. Besides I wasn't even on that trip!"

"What about before the trip?"

"Nothing truly serious happened… Merely mistaken identity, we believed her to be a threat to our security."

"Is that all!?"

"It's nothing like that!"

Nyree shrugged her shoulders, trying to rub off her father's explosive reaction. Her attention went to the human girl with the prince.

_I wonder why she is so sad_, she asked herself.

* * *

Eva sat by herself in the room allotted to her by the royal family. A few of Aikka's animal friends (as she called them) were watching her. A few, notably a ferret-lemur came up, seemingly trying to cheer her up.

_I wish he would at least talk to me_, she thought to herself.

The last time he did ended in tears again for her.

_"Molly, Eva, I –"_

_"Why didn't you tell me!?"_

_"I wish to speak to you…"_

_"About her, about that marriage, you never told me! I thought you have honor, I thought you cared!"_

_"Molly listen! I came here to tell you something. It's been on my mind for a long time but I have not the strength or the resolve to tell you, until now…"_

It was then that everything had shattered. In came King Azul, congratulating Aikka on becoming his daughter's fiancée and then she came… Delicate and fancy, like a lily in the wind. The Princess embraced the prince and… And _she kissed him_. Eva only remembered how hard it felt, how her world seemed to shatter into a billon pieces upon seeing that kiss. Rage came up in her, she wanted to push the princess away, to hug and hold Aikka…

But for some reason she couldn't.

She just starred at the princess, wondering what was going to happen next.

"I should've done something," she said to herself, "but I didn't."

_And now I hate myself for that_, she thought to herself.

She was so into her misery that she did not notice the Nourasian girl sitting right next to her.

"You seem awfully sad," the girl said, startling Eva out of her misery laden trance.

"W-Who are you?" asked Eva recovering from the shock she got from the girl.

The Nourasian girl smiled. "My name is Nyree, Bodyguard to the Prince," she said. "You must be the Earth Princess he spoke of."

"Yeah," said Eva, somewhat disappointed by the mention of Aikka.

She looked the girl over. Nyree had to have been older than the prince, she thought to herself a little noting the maturity she seemed to hold, but then again, the Nourasians she had met all had that air around them. The Nourasian girl had light orangey hair, several shades lighter than Aikka's head of red, and her skin seemed to be somewhat more brown in color, though not enough to contest with Aikka's shade. Her eyes were light turquoise. She wore an interesting blend of leather armor and white cloth, which consisted of baggy pants and a bodice like top with a skirt of leather. A short saber hung from her waist. Eva then thought of her first encounter with Aikka, and thought to herself that he probably thought she looked like…

But thinking of him renewed the gap in her heart again. A little bit of tear nearly came into her eye, but she stopped it from coming.

"I was interested, if you don't mind me prodding too much," said Nyree. "But you seemed a bit sad when you landed here. Is there something wrong? You don't have to hide from the friend of the prince."

"I- _friend_?" asked Eva. "I – I didn't know he had a friend here I…"

"He did not speak of me to you while you were on Oban," said Nyree.

"You've heard of Oban?"

"Of course," said Nyree, "did your world not rejoice when you won the Great Race?"

"Not exactly," said Eva, on an ironic note. _They hid that away from the public_, she mused to herself.

"That's too bad," said Nyree as she lifted her legs up to hug them, resting her head against her knees in a kind of daydreaming way. "If you came here, you would've been welcomed as a hero! Even though Aikka lost, we still celebrated his return. You see, he is our only prince, and a good friend to those who need him. He spoke highly of you, Earth Prince-"

"Don- Don't calls me that…"

Nyree seemed shocked, but lower her head.

"Oh, oh I'm sorry," said Eva.

"That is all right," said Nyree, "my manners need some working on, so my father says. By what do you call yourself then?"

"Eva, or Molly," Eva shrugged her shoulders, "it doesn't matter anyhow, they're both my names. So Nyree, you are-?"

"Guardian and confident to the prince," she said, "but I guess that is not too common on your world. I have heard that Earth people do not approve of their women going into warrior positions and thus have made laws preventing their activities…"

"That's not entirely true," said Eva, as she thought about it. True there were rules about women in the military as she understood, but even as she thought about it, there weren't actual restrictions…

_Maybe the laws that the Nourasians follow are not as literal as they are on Earth_ she thought quietly to herself.

"I thought the same of Nourasians," she thought, "until I met Thuy. Are you two the only female warriors on Nourasia?"

Nyree looked puzzled at Eva and then let out a loud laugh.

"No, no, I do not know what they teach you on Earth, but there are many more than just me and Thuy. Not all Nourasian Knights live in Dol, most can't either way, but sooner or latter you'll meet a few coming around here and there. Are you the only female pilot on Earth?"

Eva thought to herself and giving a small smile, shook her head.

"I don't know what they teach you on Nourasia," she said, knowing half of that was untrue; she knew a smidgen of what they taught. "But there are many, well, a good deal of female pilots on Earth…"

For the first time since she had encountered Aikka, Eva felt close to someone on this planet.

* * *

"Get a look at that," said Joshi, looking at the Earth girl and the Nourasian girl side by side.

"Hrm?" Toku's mind was elsewhere when he got a good look at the two. "Yeah two girls talking. We've seen that before. Let's go before Canaan tries to make us clean up the stables again."

"No, it's that Human girl everyone's talking about," said Joshi.

"Yeah," Toku said, "she looks weird."

"And she probably thinks the same of you too," said Joshi, "now you heard what they found for her now?"

"Whaaa?"

"They thinking of sending her back," said Joshi.

"Probably a good thing, she probably smells just as weird."

"Toku, something's not right. I don't think she's ready to go back."

"She forgot to pack something?"

"No, something's wrong. I don't know, I'm going to talk to Kaya about it. You know she feels things…"

Joshi could just feel it. He didn't have a name for it, but it worried him. More than it should have.

**_To be continued..._**


	17. Chapter 17: Confrontations & Condolences

**A/N: Sorry about the long wait, but I finally got my MSWord working again and I will continue this story. It has an end. And btw, I have a few new characters introduced in this chapter. Enjoy!**

**Ch. 17 "Confrontations and Consolations"**

"It seems like an odd feeling you got there, Joshi," said a small girl walking in-between the two boys in the beetle stable. No one was there at the moment, so they were alone, in solitude. Only the beetles could hear them, and no one would bother to ask a beetle what was going on, save if they were a Knight, but that was a different story altogether.

"So Kaya," asked Toku, "what do you think of it?"

The girl stopped on her tracks. She was small, a head shorter than Eva or Aikka, with black and brown hair. Her ears were long, but only enough to make her look like a sad bunny rather than a lop rabbit. The most striking thing about her was her eyes. They were bright green and large, unusual for a Nourasian. She was in fact a better clairvoyant than anyone else in the order was. She was Kaya.

"It seems to me that you should be updating someone other than me about this. Have any of you guys ever talked to Terru? Or Nyree?"

Joshi and Toku looked at each other. Joshi spoke up first.

"No, can't say we hav-"

"WHAT?! What is it?!" she snapped, her voice suddenly larger than her body. "Why is it that whenever something worries you, you two never tell the people who might possibly help you out? Is it because you're afraid of talking to women?"

"Uh no, no that's not true!" said Joshi.

"You're a woman, Kaya," said Toku. "Someday, somewhat… Someday you'll be a woman!"

"We just haven't had the time," explained Joshi. "I thought if we talked to you first, we might get some clarification."

Kaya gave them both a sour look but suddenly her face went into shock. Toku and Joshi came over to her.

"Kaya! Kaya are you alright?" asked Joshi.

Kaya calmed and then rubbed her head. She was sweating cold beads.

"You know what you were saying about that feeling that was making you worried?" she said, "I SAW something I can't really explain. Something bad…"

"How bad?" asked Toku.

"Do I need to elaborate or did you see what happened to me?"

Toku looked around, trying not to meet with Kaya's large eyes.

"All I know is," said Kaya, after getting her composure again. "Whatever this is, it's here and we have to warn the king."

* * *

Eva looked over her belongings. She wore her original set she came in with, a pair of blue jeans and a purple quarter sleeve. For some reason, wearing these clothes, her Earth clothes just didn't seem right to her at the moment.

With a heavy sign, Eva went into her pockets and found something round and cold. Pulling it out, she saw that she had that mirror again.

"I wonder why I got this in the first place?" she wondered to herself.

Suddenly, there was a knock and a figure came into her room.

"Are you ready, Earth Lady?" asked a servant, not using her name.

"I believe I am," she said.

The servant gave a brief bow and beckoned her out into the hallway. Eva followed behind with book bag in hand, and a sadness in her eyes.

_I need to tell him._

**

"You will tell this Earth girl you will have nothing more with her," said the old general to Aikka, who was sitting on his futon, looking a tad small.

Canaan stopped and starred at the Prince, and sneered at his pitiful look.

"You know well your father would not approve of this relationship you have," he said, a tinge of bitterness in his voice. "Likewise, it's happening as it did on Oban. Wasting your thoughts on this Earth girl…"

"You seem bitter about that!" Aikka cried out, speaking for the first time ever since the conversation started. "Why should I not have any ties to Molly? Look at what she has done for me and our world, not just that, the galaxy as we know it. We might be a small planet, this kingdom so fragile, but we owe so much to her!" He calmed down, bowing his head in shame. "And look what I have done to her. I have been… dishonorable."

"Do not speak that way," said Canaan. "Humans are not known for their honor. They tried to take Nourasia away from us, abandoned us when the Crogs came, even though we gave them food and shelter when they first came to our world. She is no different…"

"She did not betray me, Canaan," Aikka hissed, "I did though."

With that Aikka stood up.

"I need to see her one last time," he said. "Where has she gone? Is she still here?"

Aikka started to race towards the balcony where the stairs to the stable went. Canaan starred at him dumbstruck. He didn't understand what the prince was doing. All of this craziness… for an Earth girl?

He shook his head.

"Prince! Prince Aikka come back here!" he called out as the said prince disappeared down the stairs.

"Sorry, Canaan," smiled Aikka. "I have an Earth Princess to save."

* * *

Aikka wasn't there. Eva walked between two Nourasian Knights who both looked to be around the same age she was. Not that she was shocked; she had seen Star Racer Pilots who were younger like her, notably in the case of one overactive alien cat. The two were nothing alike, even their costume hinted at a sense of individuality.

Toku, as the one with brown hair was called, wore his hair in a long ponytail set on high. His face wore a sort of nervousness usually seen in people with a fear of trouble and spiders, or so Eva was warrant to conclude. He was wearing a high-necked jacket of leather with was worn wrapped around him like a gi, and baggy hakama like pants. On his feet were a pair of sandals. Toku's eyes were a bright brown, almost gold, which made him very noticeable to her.

Joshi, the second, was noticeably taller than Toku and wore his hair shorter. His clothing seemed to consist of leather tunic and white pants tucked into short boots. His hair had been placed into a braid of sorts with a ribbon of leather rawhide. He seemed to be more outgoing of sorts than his friend, and had a slight smile. A short saber hung at his side as well as a dagger. His eyes shone a deep blue.

The rainforest around them was bright and green, a wide stretch before them. They were traveling on a path to which was worn from hundreds of feet walking on it daily.

"So, where are we going?" Eva asked, trying to break the ice which was so thick it was getting to her.

"To the lagoon of the ruins," said Joshi.

"I thought there would be crocodans there," said Toku, "I don't want to go there."

"Stop being a baby!" snapped Joshi. "We're going to the lagoon of ruins or the King will have our heads!"

"Wait minute!" she said, stopping on her tracks. "What are talking about!? I know I'm going back but-"

"Oh you idiot!" snarled Toku. "Why did you say anything about his Majesty?"

"Well, he did want her off."

"What?! What about what Kaya said."

"Yeah.. I've been wondering about that as well… Urm, Eva or Molly, whatever you call yourself…"

They were suddenly interrupted by the sound of large insect wings. A thin squeal echoed from above, heading in the direction of where the path led. Eva knew what that sound was.

"So as we were saying…" Toku suddenly looked down to see that the Earth girl was gone.

"Urm, Joshi, where did Molly go?" he asked.

Joshi merely pointed in the direction of a running shape disappearing into the green.

"She's going to the lagoon without us," Joshi said.

"With all the crocodans?"

* * *

G'Dar was light on all six of his feet as he landed a few feet from the lagoon. Aikka leapt off his mount's back with agility. He landed on the ground, avoiding the remnants of an old monument from the old times. Standing up, Aikka assessed the area.

It was calm and sunny, like it had been when she came out of the heavens.

_I have been dishonorable towards you_, he said to himself.

He came up to the edge of the deep pool and found it smooth and clear as a mirror. No signs of crocodans anywhere. Somewhere, birds were twittering and calling out in the green wall of vegetation behind him. Aikka knelt by the pool, and looked into the calm waters. He could see his own face… and the figure of another.

"Are you here to say goodbye and good riddance?" Eva said.

Aikka turned around to see her again. Tears were streaming down Eva's face, not entirely of bitterness, but of sadness and betrayal.

"No, I ugh, I wanted to say…" words were failing him.

"Then why are you here!?"

"Molly! Eva! Whatever pleases you to be called! I wanted to-"

Aikka could feel them coming down his cheeks. He had tried everything to stop them from falling out, his tears seemed to betray something deep inside. Although he could barely see Eva's face, he could see that her face was changing.

Eva was shocked to see him like this. Sure she had seen men cry before, her father had been in tears, a shattered shell after the death of her mother, but this was different. Aikka was trying to wipe his tears away feebly with his bell sleeve.

"Molly, don't leave," he said. "You might find this surprising, but I am sorry for what I have done. I never meant this to be…. Molly, I… I love you."

Time stopped. For a moment, Eva felt like she had years before, somewhere when she knew what love was like. Of course she knew what love was like, she'd seen how much her parents had loved each other and how they loved her. She knew how much someone could love her, she knew that one necessarily did not have to love another to be loved, she knew of one who had been in love with her. The notion of love gave her feelings of loss, and regret, she could not love one back if she did not feel mutual. But this… She was sure.

"Aikka I…" she was about to speak but something cut through her.

The mirror in her pocket flew out and shattered, sending shards into the air. One went into Eva, causing her to fall silent. Her body paralyzed and buckled, falling down. Aikka grabbed her as she fell.

"EVA!!!" he cried.

Just as he tried to settle Eva on the ground, two shapes came running into the clearing. Joshi and Toku stopped before them, startled and horrified.

"Well don't just stand there!" Aikka shouted, tears still in his eyes. "Help me!"

**To be continued...**


	18. Chapter 18: Glass Shard

**_A/N: Well, it's soon well be the end of the school year for me and I might not be updating for a while, but I have finished this chapter and I feel like I need to put it up so I won't seem so evil for leaving people on a cliffhanger. _**

**Ch. 18 "Glass Shard"**

Eva was sure she was some place, but where she couldn't put her finger on it. The world was blue-grey like an old mystery novel setting, and the smell of dampness and darkness filled the air. It felt like her heart hurt, though she didn't know why.

"_You are awake_," said a ghostly voice. "_That's good, I guess, but I'm far more interested in how you connect to Nourasia. A human girl without any magic. How pitiful._"

"Whoever you are, I want you to know that I don't take kindly to idiots like you," snarled Eva, managing to speak even though the pain in her heart made it almost impossible.

_"Are you trying to question me!?"_ snapped the voice. _"I am more powerful than any sorcerer in the world! And you are edging closer to death. The more you speak, the more you think of that prince, the less time you have to live."_

"What did you do to me?!"

_"There is a shard of glass in your heart. That mirror was an excellent tool to spy on you; however, it was becoming a nuisance. Others were using it to contact you. The moment you felt like staying here when I had created that vortex back home was the moment I decided I did not need the mirror anymore and thus… You needed to disappear."_

"You're horrible," she spat.

There was a cold chuckle.

_"Do not worry; you're miserable life will be over soon enough."_

Eva closed her eyes hard and felt her heart beat becoming slower. Suddenly something bright made her squint her eyes. The voice did not seem to like it as he screamed and cried out.

_"How could it be!? It cannot be done!"_

But after that, Eva could hear him no more.

* * *

Eva opened her eyes once again to see three faces above her. All of them were familiar, one more than ever. Aikka looked concerned but his face turned to one of joy when he saw Eva's eyelids flutter open. Nyree and Lady Terru sat there, side by side, Terru being the one holding what appeared to be a bloody shard in between her fingers.

"Guys?" she said. "What happened?"

"Oh god I thought you were dead for sure," said Aikka as he held her tightly. She could feel tears on his face. How long had he been crying?

"This shard of glass was inscribed with Ancient Nourasian writing," said Terru grimly. "Whoever made this wanted Eva to die."

"Who would want that?" asked Nyree. "I mean I just met her, it doesn't seem like she would have enemies."

"She had a few," said Aikka. "I was one for a while."

"Aikka?! You were never the enemy." Eva held the prince to her.

"Not to intrude or anything, but the Fencing Master is getting angry."

"I am not angry at **ANYONE**!"

Eva looked over Aikka's shoulder to see three other shapes, one being of the Fencing Master, Canaan and the other two being Toku and Joshi, the later looking very sheepish.

"You've been complaining about those two…"

"Look Joshi, maybe he has a reason to complain."

"Shut up you!"

"Hey what's goin' on around here!?"

The new voice sounded quite young and overly ostentatious as though it belonged to a young girl who wasn't the type to be cowed down. Eva tried to stand up, only to feel a thick piece of material covering her upper torso. She had been bandaged up. Eva made a little cry as she saw what her upper body was like. A small spot of red was evident in an area close to where her heart should be.

"So it was in my heart," she whispered.

"A glass shard, inscribed with Ancient Nourasian," explained Terru. "A spell made especially to spy on the person who enters the vortex. I'm guessing it was you."

"The vortex?" Eva looked around confused. "So I didn't come here by accident? He did it?"

"Who Eva?" asked Aikka. "Canaletto?"

"No, not Canaletto," said Eva, "someone else, but he didn't want me to stay here."

Lady Terru starred at the shard of glass with a sense of skepticism.

"Where did this come from?" asked Terru.

"A mirror, I think," said Eva, "I found it in my clothes after I found myself here. I thought it was a gift or something."

She stiffened and then turned to Eva.

"This mirror, did it do anything else beside show you your reflection?"

"Yes, now that you mentioned it, it did speak to me, but it wasn't a man. I don't know who it was, but it was asking me to save everyone, and then before that, it told me to call upon her for anything."

"Call upon what?"

"I don't know, it looked like a huge creature, I'm not sure."

"This is serious," Terru tapped the end of her finger upon her lip. "I cannot truly account for this but I am sure that whoever is doing this has some belief in the ancient legend of the Star Maiden."

"It's only a legend," said Kaya, the young girl with the rabbit like ears.

"Some believe it is true," said Lady Terru.

Eva looked around at everyone.

"I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?" she asked.

"I'm afraid there needs to be an explanation," said Lady Terru.

**

_"Long ago, when the world was yet young, the people lived in the great lands beyond the rainforests, all was quite peaceful then. The rains came and went, and the land was fruitful and green. But as time went by, the rains became erratic and refused to fall. The animals moved from the drying land, the plants withered and the rivers had all dried up. The peoples started to look for greener land and followed the great herds, but mostly in vain. One of the people, a young man named Akai prayed to the stars to help the people. From above high, one of the young maidens of the Stars saw what was happening to the people below, and went down to the world below. She came upon Akai and his people and gave them water from the heavens above. However, it came apparent that giving them water would not help them long, for the world they knew was naught but desert and wasteland. No plant or animal suitable would live there. Another pressing concern was the father of the Star Maiden, who would be furious at her intervention upon the mortals, and would likely kill her or punish the people, or in any case perhaps both. The Star Maiden looked to her sisters for help. They could see her sadness and pointed a way to a great mountain pass in the south, saying she would find rest for herself and the people. With that knowledge in hand, the Star Maiden went forth and led the people to a mountain pass; near a great and holy mountain we call the Roof of the World. Through a narrow pass, she found herself in a land of great beauty, green with trees and with many rivers flowing. The people rejoiced at the founding of the great rainforest, and Akai had grown fond of the young woman, asking for her hand in matrimony. _

_"Their happiness however, aroused the attention of the Father of the Stars, and he grew furious at the Star Maiden for helping the mortals. In his rage, he locked the maiden into the Celestial Palace. Akai learned of his Star Maiden plight and tried to take action, however, he was unable to fly up to the great Palace. He tried to ask many creatures to help him in his quest, but all of them could neither carry him nor fly high up to the heavens. However, one creature, the Kabuto told Akai he would try to reach the Palace. Kabuto flew with Akai, reaching the Palace's outer defenses, upon which they were attacked by the fearsome dragons kept by the Father of the Stars. Akai was captured but Kabuto flew away promising to come back for Akai. The warrior was imprisoned by the Father of the Stars, taunted for being so foolish to combat the celestial entity. However, when the entity went to retire, Kabuto came back with many friends, most being little sunbirds that nibbled away at his bonds and an okami with his weapons. Akai thank them all, and Kabuto told him that he had seen where the Star Maiden was kept. He hurried to the prison, which was all made of sharp rocks and shells, and could only be exited from the top, from which the Maiden was located at the bottom and had no way of climbing out. Akai could not cut through it, nor could he scale it, and was at a loss. The Star Maiden realized that she was at a loss, but her Sisters, who had been seeing her suffer so much, quickly used their magic to create a pair of wings for both of them. The Star Maiden flew up on wings made of fire and starlight while Akai flew on wings of moonlight and sky. The Star Maiden flew from the high window and into Akai's arms, overjoyed. However, the Celestial King saw what had happened and sent forth a winged monster spider, the Steel Wing to combat the freed lovers. Akai and the Star Maiden fought the Steel Wing but where at a loss. Kabuto, Okami, and the sunbirds tried their best but where beaten back by the monster. But then, the Star Maiden and Akai realized that they alone could not stop the Steel Wing and made a spell between the both of them, linking the magic they had and had been given to transform into a might sunrise creature, a Horizon Moth, which fought the Steel Wing. The ensuing chaotic battle tore the heavens apart, sending pieces of the Celestial Palace into the oceans. _

_"In the end, the Horizon Moth destroyed the Steel Wing, but also destroyed itself and the two lovers. The Moon Sisters saw what had happened, and filled with grief, saw to that the two lovers would never be forgotten. They saw the Kabuto and made his body white with the sigils of the magical spell that brought the two together on his shell. The sunbirds in their courageous fight had been given bright patches of yellow on the undersides of their wings. The okami was given amber eyes that shone like starlight. The two lovers, Akai and his Star Maiden were placed in the sky as the stars Akai and Taya, always together forever."_

"And thus they have always been," said Canaan. "But I do not see what this has to do with the Earth Girl."

"That was so tragic," said Eva, "but what does this have to do with me?"

Lady Terru looked at Eva. All of the other Nourasians in the room where doing the same thing.

"What, what is it?" she asked.

"Do you not know?" asked Aikka. "I thought you knew."

Eva touched her left cheek.

"I have a star."

**To be continued...**

**_A/N: If I don't upload anything for a while, it will be because of Finals. I will upload in the summertime._**


	19. Chapter 19: Great Expectations

**_A/N: So I finally finished this chapter, to add to what will be happening in the next chapter. If you need to get some ideas of what's going to happen, please reveiw the rest of the story. New stuff coming, readers!_**

**Ch. 19 "Great Expectations"**

"The girl's present here will only leave us vulnerable," snarled King Lao, pacing the width of the throne room as his queen, the cloud mage, and one of his seneschals watched him. As he started another turn, one of the curtains to the far left opened and an aged figure came in, a sword on his left. Canaan, who had under different circumstances entered the throne room as a General, telling his majesty of several maneuvers, victories and defeats, came into the room, and then bowed akimbo to his king. Lao gave him a dismissive gesture, ordering him to put himself on his feet. A look of concerned came over the old general's face as he watched King Lao storm towards his throne.

"My son is a fool of the world," the king said, "I will not tolerate his decision to allow the girl to stay with us a moment longer." He looked at the sorceress, Terru. "Lady Terru, have you forgotten about the portal to bring her back to her own world?"

"I have not," said the white haired woman, "it rather a matter of the upmost security that she cannot leave Nourasia."

"My lady, do you know who will be coming to Aikka's Ceremony?" asked the King, one of his eyebrows crocked.

"If the Crogs caught wind of an Earth girl here," said Canaan, "the consequences will be… severe. They have already enough to distrust us, with the Prince's affiliation with the girl during the race." **(1)**

"I had expected you to bring in line, Master Canaan," he snapped. "But I guess one rebellious prince was too much for some used to commanding legions of the best warriors on Nourasia." Canaan looked down to his feet. "I had expected her to be gone by now."

"But that's what I told you," said Lady Terru. "She is akin to the Star Maiden of yore; likewise, whoever is targeting her has some plan up his or her sleeve. The Prince only wants to protect her, though there is something…"

The King seemed to start when he heard her.

"There is already a young woman, a Princess of Royal Blood, for my son. I will not have an Earth – '_princess_'", he seemed to spit the word out, "grubbing around this palace. She is, of all things, unsuitable for the throne. Hasn't she a suitor?"

Lady Terru had to cover her smile with her long sleeve.

"I'm afraid the customs of Earth are far different than the ones we have here," she said unabashly.

At that moment, the Captain of the Guard, Master Thuy came in, and bowed as soon as the King saw her.

"Your Radiance," she said, "we have been contacted by our… allies."

By the rather strained quality of her voice, the entire room knew who the Captain was speaking of.

* * *

The Prince was slowly working on his katas in the outdoor arena he had practice his techniques in. A few people milled about, mostly uninterested, though one was nearly asleep in the tall grass at the sides of the circle. Eva had grown tired of watching Aikka perform his katas and was lulled to sleep under the heat of the midday sun. He did not want her to stray too far from his sight, but even then, it was getting in the way of most things in their lives. He stopped his training to see Eva in the grass.

_She needs her rest_, he thought, _after that accident yesterday._

He sat down besides her and woke her up gently. She sat up with a start.

"I do not think that sleeping out in the sun would do you good for the moment," he said, "may I escort you back to your room?"

Eva looked at him dazed and then let out a laugh.

"You're just as bad as Jordan," she said as she stood up.

They went through to the hallway lit by the sun, as various persons wandered about, carrying about their own business or talking about the various intrigues going on, mostly dealing with some business going on with the seamstresses and a few dresses. No notice was made to Eva; she had been there for quite a while and was not just a strange part of the palace anymore. They turned into a corner when Aikka's ears pricked up.

"Molly- Eva," he said, "hide."

Before she could mouth a protest she suddenly heard a kind of low gravel voice with a reverb she had not heard since…

"Crogs," she hissed as he held her against the wall.

He didn't need to confirm. The words of a conversation filled her hearing range.

"It would be necessary for your true allies to come to the Ceremony at moontide," said a low voice, the reverbs echoing off the walls.

"Yes," said another voice, this being the King himself. "However, had you not the sense not to come back? After all, it was your greatest general who was killed the day you suffered another defeat at the hands of the Humans…"

"General Kross was… Not the sanest," admitted the voice, "and our defeat will not happen again. Your superstitions do not scare us, King, and as the leader of the Western Hordes, I will make it my duty to see the… Traitorous Prince…"

"_Traitorous Prince?!_"

"It has become acknowledged that Prince Aikka is affiliated with an Earth girl, is it not. An Earth Princess." There was a rattle of chuckles. "Little Prince after his princess, like how the late General Kross used to report. But on more important matters. We shall meet again, with a regiment of my high class soldiers to see this… Ceremony take place. If the Prince however, steps out of line again, he will never walk this world alive again." **(2)**

"But you cannot do that!" Aikka's mother had come out, mostly with concern for her only son.

"We can and will," said the unknown Crog, "it was our treaty that we shall rule Nourasia in absence of an heir to the throne. And Aikka, how sudden he became an heir, is it not?"

"I only wanted to protect him," said Queen Nori. There was some soft sobbing.

"He has become disobedient, unruly," he continued. "For that in earlier times, I would have been ordered to execute all heads of government and forced the populous into captivity. But we are far more civilized than that. Far more." There was a pause, in which only Aikka's mother could be heard crying. "The Prince should know how to bow on his knees, if he hasn't already." **(3)**

With that, the conversation had ended; there was a soft sound of a communication device shutting off and the soft sobbing of Queen Nori. A sad and low sigh came from King Lao.

Eva and Aikka stood in the hallway, near the entrance to the communication room.

"What was that all about?" she asked as she walked into the hallway.

"My Ceremony is coming soon," he said.

"Your what?"

"Every Prince of the Royal Line must go through the Ceremony of the Three Moons," he said. "It occurs only when the three moons show their full faces, which happens every twenty-one years in our time. At this time, any ruler with magical abilities will be blessed with the full powers of the Three Moons. Not every ruler has magic, and I am but one of the handful that ever has. I was wishing you would be able to see it, but concerning the Crogs." **(4)**

"Talking about them," said Eva, "who was that guy talking to your parents?"

"He is, considerably less belligerent than Kross ever was," said Aikka, his face stone like, "but like Kross, he has methods of, dealing pain to others. That was the leader of the Western Hoards, Cornel Rook. According to most Crogs, he is, kinder, at least in Crog terms."

"Didn't sound that way to me," she retorted.

"In your case, it would sound like that. But from my experience, he has been less prone to tossing people around."

Eva's eyes widened but she quickly got over it.

"In any case, I need you to keep yourself safe, hidden away from the Crogs."

"And how'd you supposed we do that?"

Aikka looked up and then exhaled a great sigh.

"That is a good question."

**To be continued...**

**_A/N: Thanks and please review, this story has an end, and it's coming soonish._**

**_Terms:_**

**_1. Kross and Canaan knew what was going on. So I guess there were other people who found out about Aikka and Molly's friendship._**

**_2. Again, with Kross nearly killing Aikka on at least one occassion, Cornel Rook is talking about taking out the heir to the throne so Crogs could take over Nourasia._**

**_3. The Crog Imperium has probably taken out some of their own "allies", but as of now, no one has heard of any other "allies" of the Crogs._**

**_4. Not everyone is born with magic, not even on Nourasia. So maybe not all of the rulers of Nourasia are magical._**


	20. Chapter 20: A Plan of Disguise

**_A/N: I decided that I needed to upload this because it's done, it's a short chapter but still. Nightfall, you actually found out the major plotpoint of this chapter. The aftermath of what will happen will be revealed in the next chapter. I can't believe this, I'm getting back into this._**

**Ch. 20 "A Plan of Disguise"**

"Hiding Mo- Eh, Eva?" asked Toku rubbing his chin. "Why not send her back?"

"Toku, you idiot!" snapped Joshi. "She can't go back! Someone thinks she's the Star Princess!"

"Star Maiden" corrected Kaya, standing in a corner in the stables.

All around and above them, giant Kabuto were resting, some a little restless as their riders had not exercised them that day. The smell of hay and nectar filled the air, a little unfamiliar to Eva, who sat on the tamati mat floor with her knees bent in front of her. Aikka was standing against the door of an empty stall, while Joshi and Toku were standing and sitting respectively to either side of him. Nyree was also there, sitting on a box shaped basket case on the floor. As of now, none of them had a fully conceived notion of how to keep the Earth girl safe from the prying eyes and ears of the Crogs. Toku had suggested sending her back to Earth several times, only to be reminded again and again of the threat to Eva if she went back now.

"Everything's so complicated," sniffed Toku. "And I thought this place would be free of Crogs by now."

"It is," snapped Joshi again, "save for the Ceremony."

"But I meant…" Toku was cut from his talk by Kaya tapping her foot against the wall of the structure.

"I don't suppose we could hide her in plain sight," said Kaya, "I mean, all of us had that training, right?"

"Whadda you mean?"

"That's perfect, Kaya," said Nyree, "she could watch Aikka's ceremony and pass for one of the spectators."

"I don't think I fully understand," asked Eva. "How do you suppose I do this?"

Aikka turned to face her.

"There are many spells of concealment, Eva," said Aikka. "Some of these spells offer a scant disguise; others can be used to rework a kind of illusion over the body. The one I am thinking of could work on the latter note."

"You mean a disguise, a real disguise?" she asked.

"Not a permanent one, but it will be suitable for the night."

"You don't know that spell at all, Prince," said Nyree, "and I know very little of it."

Eva sat there pondering as Nyree and the Prince argued with each other. What Nyree had said was true: as a Wind magician, Aikka's control over spells other than those that dealt with wind was limited and often backfired. That was as much as she could get from what Lady Terru had told her…

"Wait, what about Lady Terru," asked Eva.

Every ear lifted when they heard the Earth girl talk.

"That could be possible," said Kaya, tilting her head to one side.

Toku shook his head.

"What's wrong, Toku?" asked Eva.

"I'm very sorry, I didn't tell anyone else this before until now…"

"Well tell us!" Joshi cried out.

"Lady Terru is going off to meet with Master Riiku on what must be done. I am so sorry."

Everyone seemed so down, except for Nyree.

"Okay with me," she said, "if I'm able to work with my spells carefully I'll be able to give Eva a disguise."

"And what if you-"Toku was silenced by Joshi.

"Hey! Don't jinx her!" Joshi said, "I'm sure you can do it!"

Nyree smiled, but under that a growing suspicion rose.

_What if I fail_, she thought to herself.

**

"Well, we've had a difficult time here," said a female voice. "I wasn't able to come to her or befriend in any way."

The figure on the throne in the blue smoke merely held his head in his hands. A female figure in red came up to him.

"And you failed too," she said. "Can't blame me for everything that has gone wrong."

"Enough of this talk," said the figure on the throne. "I've had enough of this."

The female looked over her shoulder at the crack in the ceiling.

"Moontide comes soon," she said.

"Indeed," he hissed. "My seeds are already planted. They will blossom in the light of the Three Moons."

"The Goddesses of the Moons will not tolerate this. You know what might happen."

"What can they do? The appearance of the Three Moons and the Ceremony will drain them. The plan is working just as long as that Human girl doesn't get into the process."

"You know she will."

"That is your job, my little apprentice, my… _Mura_."

The Nourasian girl in red winched at the mention of her name.

"Yes, Master." Mura bowed.

**

Lady Terru was pacing the inner courtyard of the Blue Stone Sanctuary. The Blue Stone was a large underground temple built long before Dol had been a twinkle in someone's eye. It was a place of ancient magic, magic far older than anyone could remember back to. The main chamber, the second story was a large round courtyard carved with petroglyphs and beautiful swirling designs similar to the royal seal of Nourasia. Blue and white were the standard colors of the ceiling, while earthy red and brown was the colors of the floor. The floor itself had been carved with swirls up to the edge of a huge glowing blue crystal, one of the largest intact on Nourasia, providing the chamber with blue light. It was this blue crystal that gave the Sanctuary its name.

She looked to her feet, impatient. Surely Lord Riiku had not given her a false note to lead her away from more important matters!

In a moment, a thin figure came into the chamber. Lady Terru stopped on her heels and looked up.

"Lord Riiku! Where have you been?" she asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," he said, as he came down into the chamber near the center.

"But I thought you gave me a warning," she said, "you told me to come and meet you here in the Sanctuary."

"You asked me," he said.

"Then…"

The two became quite as the chamber started to rumble. The Blue Crystal in the middle of the room began to glow brightly and intensely. Both Terru and Riiku were startled as blue white light came to engulf them.

* * *

_"Well, that took care of those two."_

_"That was pathetic, they can get themselves out."_

_"Only until after the Ceremony."_

* * *

Inside a dark chamber under a temple were two sorcerers still as ice. They had been cast into blue crystal, alive but unable to move or get out. No one knew they were there. At least for now.

**_To be continued..._**


	21. Chapter 21: The Ceremony

**_A/N: Sorry about the long wait for the update, but this was pretty difficult to write with my schedule and all. I finally got some time to write, but even then I wavered from one idea to another on how to end this chapter. Right now I have to work on a few pieces for Mokka Week and the character challenge that I made for myself._**

**_I'm not going to put any annotations in this chapter, due to much of the information being already there. Also I'm a little lazy on my part. Sorry._**

**Ch. 21 "Ceremony"**

"You ready?"

"Are you sure?"

Eva played with the belt of her dress for a while. It was beautiful, mostly white with yellow-brown trimming, hitting just at mid-calf. There were small shoulder pads made of the shell of a small species of beetle of a red earthy color and a cape of molted skin fell off her back in earthy red, orce, yellow, and brown. Two barrettes of a kind of red stone were attached to her hair, matching the color of red of her eyes. Ties wrapped around her legs from the sandals she wore.

Nyree was standing before her in her own costume, of a bluish tunic with white pants and leather boots. Turquoise stones adorned her neck and belt. A ceremonial saber hung at her side.

"Oh course it'll work," she said, "up for at least a few hours."

"A few hours?!"

Nyree shrugged her shoulders and then clasped her hands together. She started off with an invocation to the gods.

"Oon Sekai, dia maska sarras!"

Blue and white light formed in her hands and transformed into a ball of light. The ball of light flew from her hands and went around Eva. The Earth girl watched the light swirl around her. Then it stopped and exploded, throwing light all over Eva. The light filled the room they were in, causing Eva to throw up her hands to shield her face. When the light dimmed, Eva slowly withdrew her arms.

Nyree opened her eyes as well as looked at Eva.

"I can't believe it!"

"Huh?" Eva tilted her head. For some reason her ears felt weird. The world around her seemed more livid, more detailed.

"You're a Nourasian," said Nyree, "here let me show you."

She took out a small hand mirror and showed it to Eva. Eva leaned in to see herself.

"Ahhh…" Eva starred in surprise.

She was almost alike to her original form, save for her eyes, which seemed devoid of white, but the red of her eyes were bright. Her hair was still black and red. Her skin had only darkened slightly, but the biggest change had to be her ears. They were long, but not to the point that they made her look like a bunny.

"W-wow," she said.

Nyree smiled and jumped up and down in joy.

"This is great, this is great!"

She stopped her little dance and touched Eva's shoulder.

"If you start turning back, we can always take a route into the stables, there's a hidden chamber down there for storing straw. It is a little cramp, but it should be okay."

"I hope this last very long," Eva said. "Oh my voice…"

"Don't worry about that," said Nyree. "The Crogs never talk to anyone save for the King and the prince, I do not think that they would show any kind of interest in…"

"What, a peasant!?"

Nyree gave off a laugh. "That's a pretty nice dress, I don't think they would call you that, even though, even the farmer's daughters dress exceptionally nice for occasions like tonight."

Nyree and Eva looked to a small window, seeing the three moons near apex.

"We best be on our way, Eva, or rather, if anyone asks, you are Meru."

"Just Meru?"

"Just Meru."

**

There was no crowd of sorts around in the palace. The only people around really were a few Nourasian Knights, the Royal Family and a trio of shamans. The shamans, as Eva was told quietly by Nyree, were the ones who would protect Aikka from attacks from vile spirits who, during the height of power, would be able to attack Aikka and kill him. All of them were standing around a crystal blue spring, with small stepping stones towards a shrine like structure, enclosed by all sides with silk awnings. Up above, the three moons were shinning clear and bright. Down in the town and villages around the area, the people of Nourasia were celebrating the Three Moons with much merriment. The Nourasian Knights were chosen from their bonding with certain aspects of nature; for Nyree it was water and the oceans, a male with jet black hair and a trimmed goatee was responsible for fire, a young male with a few scars on his face was selected for stone and earth, a young woman who wore a headband was selected for clouds and non-moving water, and an older male wearing a grey braid had been chosen for wind and air. They seated themselves around the pond now, little glyphs carved into the stone around. Eva, called Meru was standing with the Royal Family and a few retainers, namely Canaan and Thuy, though curiously, Terru was not present. She wondered why.

Then she heard someone approaching. She turned to look in the direction of where they came from. A group of three Crogs came into the blue light, looking larger and more imposing than she had remembered Kross as being. They loomed over her as they stood at attention with King Lao and Queen Nori, but took no notice of her.

"Cornel Rook," said King Lao.

"It is a pleasure, your radiance," said the large Crog before him.

Cornel Rook, as Eva realized the Crog as, wore the usual red of a Crog of high military rank (or what she inferred to as so, being limited in things Crog) with large steel swept winged shoulder pads which seemed to be very imposing. He didn't wear a cloak, but even without one, he seemed large and imposing like a statue of a thunder god. The one thing that set him apart from the Crogs Eva had seen was his ears. One was full and unbroken while the other had been cleaved in half, one part missing. No other additional scars appeared on him as far as Eva could discern, but that half of an ear told her that she was not dealing with a pushover.

The two other Crogs on either side of him wore grey and red, holding large battleaxes not yet activated. They had a pair of ears each, which made Eva certain that this meant something, which she wasn't all that clear on.

On the other side of the pool, Aikka appeared in white and blue and bronze leather. He wore a pair of dark black-blue pants that were fitted, with a bronze colored jerkin over a white fitted short sleeve shirt. A swirling crown of ambrez was fitted on his head with his red hair flowing down, not done in their usual topknots. He wore bandages on his calves and feet.

Eva starred at the Prince as he walked around the parameter of the pool, his clothing and face lit up by the soft blue glow. The shamans, a trio of three women followed close behind, dressed in white and blue. One was tall and imposing, even to the Crogs. Her hair was a translucent white, and her demeanor reminded Eva of Lady Terru (wherever she might be). The other two consisted of a middle aged woman with long reddish-brown locks in a ponytail and a younger woman with lightly tanned skin and cropped black hair. All of them had strange masks lying on their backs, unused for the moment. They had round eyes and except for the old woman's, stripes instead of the royal swirls. Aikka also wore a mask on his back with the royal swirls making up for a crown and swirls on the chin reminiscent of a beard or a smile. The Prince stopped at the edge of the pool and then knelt down. He began to enter the pool. At that moment, the knights who had assembled upon their glyphs stood up, raising wooden staves into the air, each one with a certain token of their element: a white feather for air, seashells for ocean and fast moving waters, a flake of obsidian for fire, a pair of smooth stones for calm water and clouds, and sandstone and a piece of quartz for earth and stone. The shamans surrounded the Prince and the knights in an outer circle, which Eva could see was also marked with glyphs, these ones pertaining to the Three Moons. A soft chanting emanated from the group, sounding similar to the spells said by Aikka, but for some reason, that chanting seemed different from anything Eva had heard in her life. Different from the Drudgers' songs of renewal or the evil chanting recited by Canaletto, the spell or prayer the group was singing seemed less of an evocation of any force, but an awakening spell. She had drawn away from the scene, just like the guests and the Royal family, but she could see some kind of movement in the pool. Aikka had been left in the middle of the glowing blue pool, which was now swirling around him, even though Eva was certain there was no outside force that could be doing this.

The knights started to chant, and streams of colorful ribbons seemed to emanate from the ground they stood on. It took Eva a while before she realized that this was magic, more specifically elemental magic, rather than the blue-white magic Aikka usually employed. These strands of magic started to swirl around Aikka, who from what Eva could see was now glowing a bright blue-white as the moons seemed to glow brighter in the night sky.

"How beautiful," she whispered, hoping no one else would hear.

The moons seemed to glow bright in the sky as strands of magical light drifted towards them. Then below the voices of the chanters came something else, a new voice, low and raspy singing a chant that sounded so vile and disturbing that she was waken up from the strange stupor that she had been in moments before. She looked around herself, noticing that everyone, including the Crogs present where starring at Aikka stood amongst the glow. They had not even noticed the voice she could hear so loudly now. Something bad was going on, she could just feel it.

**

He had been watching the entire ceremony when he saw her. The Master was not pleased.

"She's there," he snarled, "I had not planned for this. The Star Child is ruining everything!"

"Stop acting so stupidly," snapped Mura as she walked out of a patch of shadows. A red cloak floated around her as she came to him.

"That was an unwise set of words, my dear," he said. "I needed the Prince alone…"

"For what?" Mura tossed her hair casually. "Just so you can kill him. Why couldn't you do that now?"

"You're an idiot and you'll always be an idiot," he fumed. "Death is not his fate. Something far worst, yes… But that girl…"

"What about her?" Mura asked looking over his shoulder as he peered into his mirror.

"How sad he is so… attached to her. It would be a shame if they were separated forever."

**

Aikka inhaled the cool night air and exhaled. With his eyes open and a feeling of clarity and assurance, he stepped out of the pool. He looked up, but his eyes were for one person, standing there smiling and clasping her hands.

_Eva._

Three shamans came up to him, one throwing a towel on him, drying him off, another holding him up by one hand and another giving him a warm smile.

"You have passed the Ceremony," she said. "The Three Moons smile upon our world tonight as the Three Goddesses have ordained. You, Prince Uten Aikka Li Tsuki-An-Jai-Nourasa are now Heir, the Blue Windstorm Prince. With the addition of a suitable Queen, you will be the Windstorm King."

Aikka gave a reverent bow. The Shaman did the same.

Eva watched from the sidelines, Canaan at her side patting her on the shoulder.

"Now my Lady," he said to her. "The Prince will be excused from the arena, he will be exhausted."

"From that light show?" she asked, suddenly realizing how stupid she sounded.

"Some light show," he snorted. "That was a true show of magic, powerful and dangerous to behold. If he was not worthy of such power, the Goddesses would've killed him on sight."

A shudder came over Eva.

"So he's weak?"

"Very." He looked towards a group of knights standing up stiffly from their positions on the ground. "There is a reception. The Prince is not attending; he is far too exhausted to do so."

Eva sighed.

"That means I can't see him, can I?"

"Not right now," Canaan said giving a knowing wink. "But tomorrow he will be fine."

A smile formed over her face before she could realize it.

Don't worry about it, she said to herself. You just saw something no other human has ever seen, and he loves you. He'll be back and fine in no time.

A yawn came over her.

_I'm tired_; she looked over her shoulder to see Aikka being escorted back to his chamber. _Sweet dreams, fair prince_, she thought to herself, rather happy she didn't say that out loud.

The lights of a tent came to view as she looked ahead, walking by Canaan's side. However, the voice she heard troubled Eva. It sounded so sinister and frightening. It became more apparent when she could hear that same voice.

"What's wrong, young lady?" asked Canaan before she realized she had stopped walking. She looked up at him and waved it off.

_Must be hearing things…_

A coldness, a thick mist came upon her quite suddenly. She tried to scream as a hand came upon her, cold and claw-like over her mouth.

"Do not struggle much," said an oddly familiar voice. "It will only hurt you."

**

The groggy feeling of sleep clouded Aikka's mind. He nearly stumbled trying to get across the ceremony circle. A shaman steadied him in time as he tried to stand up again.

"I'm quite alright," he said turning to the shaman. "I – I'll be fine."

"My Prince, do not be so modest," she said, "a broken nose or leg is nothing to shrug off so easily. Especially in your condition."

"I would think that magic would only make me stronger," he said, with a hint of a laugh.

"In time," said the shaman, "you need to get used to it. It will grow stronger and stronger as you learn to use and control it."

He nodded slowly only to feel an unnaturally cold breeze. His ears pricked up. Aikka turned to see a sight most disturbing.

There was a tall, thin figure dressed in a mockery of a Nourasian Knight's suit of armor. Instead of the warm bronze, it was a cold silver and gold, with a dark red cloak, too elegant to be that of even a fully noble knight. Mists, white and ice cold swirled around him like vines and he was standing there with a girl…

"EVA?!"

The Shamans looked horrified, almost letting Aikka go. The figure turned to see the Prince and his attendants, showing a face pale with ice blue eyes, and a neatly manicured beard. His hair was smooth and the color of rusty iron, tied into a high topknot ponytail. A scowl marred his face as he turned around, holding Eva's mouth closed. She had shed her Nourasian disguise in front of everyone who was there.

"You're too late, little prince," said the Nourasian knight. "You are far too weak and this outlander is powerless."

"Who – who are you?" Aikka could barely contain himself, though his knees felt like they were about to turn to jelly.

"I was once like yourself," said the man, "once to inherit the wind upon the wings of Kabuto, but that was wrenched away from me amongst others, and I found a magic that could heal that wound. But now, I will regain that power that was once lost to me." He held out his free hand. "Oon kage narama un." Aikka felt something being torn out of his chest. He collapsed on his knees, gasping for air. The Prince looked up to see the Nourasian knight who gave a cold smile, while a sphere surrounded by runes glowing bright blue, silver and bronze. Eva was still struggling in his grip.

"Let me go!" she managed to scream.

Aikka tried to get up on his feet, only collapsing on himself like a newborn foal. He looked up again, seeing Eva starring at him with horrified red eyes. Surrounding the Nourasian knight surrounded by smoke were some of the Nourasian Knights who had attended the Ceremony. The knights drew out some ranged weapons, all but two held bows with arrows affixed. The scarred young man held a spear twice as long as his body and Nyree started to summon water from the central pond to her as a whip.

"Don't even think about it," snapped the Nourasian knight as an invisible wall of power knocked the knights surrounding him.

"I- I won't let you take her away!" Aikka managed to say.

A flash of red flew into his sight, and a burst of pain came out of his shoulder. He made a strangled cry as he saw the figure of a young woman dressed in a red cloak standing above him, with a sour expression on her face.

"You are a fool," she said, his eyesight blurring. "My Master, shall we leave?"

"Why of course, Mura my dear," said the Master turning around. Before he went he gave Aikka a sideward glance. "Prince, you have at last the mercy to know my name before I leave, a courtesy I usually do not give my enemies. I am Masao, who has no equal."

"No, wait, wait!" Aikka drew his hand out, his eyesight blurring more and more until the world became one bright and confusing blot.

**_A/N: Yes that's the end of this chapter. What will happen next? Who is this Masao character and what does he want with Eva?_**

**_The entire Ceremony in question is more of a test on the part of the Prince and the Goddesses. Canaan is actually exagerating at this point, as Aikka would have not have died in any case and the cause for his extreme exhaustion may have something to do with what happened near the end of this chapter. _**

**Well I hope you enjoyed this installement and please read and review.**


	22. Chapter 22: The Lost One

**_A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates. I was a little behind on this and I haven't been working on this for a while. I'm really wanting to see James Cameron's Avatar, which looks pretty awesome. I am heading towards an end to this story and I hope everyone's happy with this so far. So please give a review after you've read this through and maybe I'll update a little faster._**

**Ch. 22 "The Lost One"**

Eva could hear the sound of the hollow wind when she woke up. She was lying on a cold stone floor. Sitting up, she took notice of her surroundings. It was bright due to the presence of sunlight and more than a few crystal lamps here and there, so she could tell she was in room, more specifically a study. A mage's study.

"You've finally woken up," snapped a voice like frost from behind her.

Eva turned to see the Nourasian who had taken her before, sitting at a desk, writing upon some papyrus sheet. He looked rather ordinary, although his clothing seemed to be a mockery of a Nourasian Knight's armor, though he had taken off of his cape.

"You're, you're Masao, I think…" she said.

"Yes, yes I am," he said turning to see her. "Right now, you're probably wondering why you are doing here and you should already know why."

"I don't know," she said, "what did you do to Prince Aikka?"

"He's still alive, for the moment. But he's foolish, like I once was. He'll be back but not before meeting my apprentice." He leaned back and waved his hand over what looked like a wall. A light came on, showing a set of armor, mostly black scale mail, fitted for a female body, and next to it, a double-bladed sword in a scarlet scabbard. "These are familiar, are they not?"

"No, I don't understand."

Masao made a face.

"It should be. These belonged to one such as yourself."

Eva just shook her head.

"You are a Star Maiden. This is your armor and sword. These belong to you."

"No, they don't!"

"You are lying, you are the new Star Maiden, you've been marked as such, do not deny it."

"What if I do?! I don't want to be the Star Maiden, I-!"

"You cannot change your destiny." He walked up to her. Masao was as tall as her father was, and his expression reminded her of the bad times, his anger, his rage…

"You will never escape this world, at least, alive. I will see to it."

She took a swing at him, straight at his face. Masao calmly grabbed her wrist and gave a pained and angered stare. Then, his face softened, almost worryingly.

"Do not try that again," he said, releasing her wrist from his cold grasp. "I have no qualms about the Prince, and neither should you. In a fortnight or so, he will lose to all hope, like the others before him."

"You're lying," she said. "You know nothing of Aikka, he's not like…"

"And neither do you," the Nourasian turned away from her. He lifted up a hand and snapped his fingers. Around Eva, a curtain rose up. "You will be given a room of your own. Until you come to the realization of what you truly are, Star Maiden, you will remain here as my guest… and my prisoner."

Eva tried to stifle a gasp as she found herself in a room, decorated to suit a princess of Nourasia.

**

"I simply do not care, I have no choice but to go and find her!"

Aikka stormed into the stables, his fencing master and teachers trailing him. Unlike all the other times he had come down, his suiting was a far different type. Leather armor encased his shins, shoulders, and chest. He wore breeches and a tunic, a belt weighted down by a short sword. His head was unadorned save for a ponytail. He carried a full quiver and his bow was slung on his shoulder. Instead of sandals, he wore boots, unusual for this time of the year.

G'Dar noticed him and made a soft cry, smelling the old scent of leather and war.

"Prince! Please get it through your mind," cried Canaan, "this is illogical. No one would go on such a quest. It is…"

"You are not strong enough," said Thuy, "sword and arrow will have no effect! Please keep a sane mind!"

"I simply do not care," Prince Aikka said, leaping on the back of the beetle. "Eva needs my help, please let me go."

"So much for the great Prince Aikka," snapped a voice from beyond.

All heads turned to see the great shape of King Lao standing in the doorway. A stern and cold look froze his face in a grimace.

"You are being a fool, my son," the King replied. "What is it that compels you to find this girl? You should've forgotten about her as soon as you saw her."

Aikka merely starred at his father. For a brief moment in the stables, a wave of silence separated both Prince and King, son and father. He turned away and looked down at his hands gripping the saddle handle of his mount. His hand gripped it tightly.

"Good bye father," Aikka said softly. "I must uphold my honor to Eva."

G'Dar moved forth, forcing the crowd of teachers and Royalty to back away. The great wings opened and closed and opened again.

**

The clearing was calm and serene as the large beetle landed beside the small lagoon. Aikka leapt off and came up to the edge of the pool where he had found Eva fall into this world.

"I was wondering when you were coming," said a cool and cutting voice.

Aikka turned around sharply. Behind him was a silhouette dressed in a blood red cloak walking into the sunlight. It was that girl from before, with a thin smile forming on her face. Aikka glared.

"You don't have a chance," she continued. "My master is strong as any sorcerer on this planet. You may have some power, but alas you are no match for his incredible strength in those arts."

"You have no right to take away Eva!" He drew out his sword and held it level to her face.

"Her name is Eva?"

Aikka grimaced. "I do not want to fight you, whatever your intentions are. I have only one request: get out of my way."

"No. How's that?"

He backed off a bit. This was unexpected to say the least.

"Get," he said in his most informal way yet.

The girl smiled and held up one hand. She whispered something under her breath. Aikka felt himself being thrown away from her into a rock. All of the air went out of his lungs and he collapsed on himself at the base of the rock. He held his sword tightly, as the girl started towards him.

"See," she said. "You simply are not listening to me at all. You are weak, useless, and incredibly arrogant. You simply do not deserve the Star Maiden."

"Her name is Eva!!!"

Aikka summoned all of his strength and threw himself at the girl. She dodged him and drew out a small knife. With a quickness unseen in these parts, she plunged the knife into his back. A thin gasp escaped as he fell flat on the ground. His sword fell from his grip.

"As I said, you do not deserve the Star Maiden."

To be continued...

**_A/N: Next time, will Aikka be okay? What are Masato's plans? Please read and review. And I hope to update a little more often. _**


	23. Chapter 23: Blood and Armor

**_Hi everyone, sorry for the long wait. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well as the rest of this story so far. I'm coming closer to an end. Thanks for the support._**

**_Ch. 23 "Blood and Armor"_**

"I found him that way, my liege."

The motion of opening his eyes was painful. The world was blurry, then fuzzy, then bright, and then sharp. Two figures stood above him, one tall and pale the other large and reddish.

"He'll recover, eventually, but I worry. It was deep and tinged with dark magic."

Aikka tried to sit up.

"No, lay down!" He was pushed back into his cot by a gentle hand.

"But I must. There isn't any time!"

"Aikka, I know you want to save Eva, but in your current condition you are far too weak."

"I am not weak!" A sharp pain laced through his body, causing him to cringe and bend double.

Terru's hand patted his back.

"Just lay down and rest, Aikka" she said. "I know how you feel, but I'm afraid you cannot help her in your condition."

"This is all her fault," King Lao hissed. "If she hadn't come here, my son would not be in this predicament."

"He will recover, with the proper healing. You should count yourself lucky that the knife wound was not too deep."

The King made a face.

"I do not care for this," he snapped. "For now on, we leave this Human girl to the intentions of that sorcerer, or kill them both."

Aikka closed his eyes, trying to shut out his father and the pain. It was as if the pain seemed to pulsate more with the hate and rage his father was expelling at the fact that his son cared so much for a Human girl rather than his chosen princess bride. It stung more than that of the needles of a round bobbin plant he had once foolishly touched as a child. The needles had been painful even more so when he had tried to pull them out, though now he felt that this pain of hate and hopelessness was worst than anything he had ever felt before. It was as though his heart was going to shrink back in despair.

"Let me out!"

Eva threw a stool at the walls of her cell. It shattered like glass, surprising her somewhat as she moved away from the broken chair. Unlike other girls in the stories she had read on Earth, she wasn't ready to fall to her knees and cry. She was determined to find a way out. It wasn't as if Aikka had to do all the work… If he was even coming to rescue her.

Maybe he's forgotten about me, she thought, maybe he's hurt, maybe he's dying…

"He's not dying."

Eva turned around to see Masao sitting in a chaise, rather lazily playing with a round jade ball floating in the air. He sat up to getting a better look at her.

"Well, not now," he said. "He's going to die if he keeps trying to come to 'save' you. How droll, he thinks you're in danger!"

"How dare you!" Eva said. "You know nothing of Aikka!"

"You know nothing of Aikka!" he mocked. "I know one thing: here look."

He tossed the jade ball. Eva made a move to catch the round thing but it instead floating in front of her, spinning.

An image appeared on the surface of the round object. Two figures were talking to each other, both of them she had seen before and knew well.

"The Earth girl is better off dead," muttered Canaan in the image. "Her appearance here was of disastrous consequences."

"No matter," King Lao had a very hard edge to his voice, as though he was about to cry. "She took what mattered most to me, and she will pay for it, if that sorcerer hasn't brought it about already."

The image faded out and was replaced by a silent image of a figure she knew very well.

"Aikka!" she cried.

The prince was lying on his back, his shoulder bandaged and red with blood. He was in great pain and writhed in agony, his mouth opening and closing as though he was shouting.

"He's dying…" Eva felt a lump rise in her throat, and took a deep breath. "He's dying, but why?"

"This is your fault, Star Maiden," said Masao. "If you hadn't met him, then he wouldn't have fallen in love with you. If you hadn't been his friend, he wouldn't have gotten in so much trouble with the Crogs. If only you have never gone to Oban, if only you never shown so much faith in him, so much trust, if you hadn't come here, your prince would not be suffering." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have done so much harm, it's only necessary that you kill yourself…"

Eva whipped around, her fist smacking right into the mage's face. He drew back, holding his bruised cheek in shock and rage.

"I will never give in," said Eva, her body shaking with rage. "You may think you have me, but I will not bow down to you. Never."

Masao's face changed from rage to a smile.

"I never did ask you to bow to me," he said. "In fact, it would be your prince that should be bowing before me."

Eva's eyes widened.

"It should come to no surprise to you that you know what I meant by that. You are in no danger at all, you were brought here for one purpose, and that is to become the Star Maiden." He stepped back, the suit of armor from before appearing beside him. "Put on the armor, Star Maiden, if you value your prince at all."

It was midnight, and despite the cool breeze, Aikka felt as though he was on fire. There was no rest for him. He tossed around the cot where he was laid in the infirmary.

The thought of Eva in the procession of that sorcerer was more than he could bear. He stopped tossing for that moment and starred at the ceiling. The prospect of just staying here only made him glum.

"Is he safe, is he all right?" asked a soft feminine voice from the hallway.

"I'm afraid he's resting, m'lady," said one of the nurses that had bandaged him up earlier in the day. "You'll have to see him tomorrow."

"Princess Setsunna?"

At that moment, a familiar shape filled the doorway to the infirmary.

"Prince Aikka, I was so worried!"

She started to cry and ran towards him, wrapping her arms around him. Aikka winced visibly at the pain as she did so.

"I was so worried when I heard the news about the Lady Eva and what happened to you," she said as she drew herself away from him.

Aikka, glad at the concern and the fact that she was not hugging him so tightly, smiled weakly and lay back down.

"I only hope she will be safe," he said, knowing he would be coming for her.

"We all wish that, but for the moment, there is talk."

Aikka's eyes widen at the remark. "Talk?"

"Yes, his Radiance has ordered the kingdoms to bring forth the best of the knights in order to rescue the young Earth teen. It is my knowledge that you have been grievously injured to the point that you can no longer fulfill the duties of the Nourasian Knights and therefore must resign your title."

"What?"

"Isn't this good? You'll be able to spend more time with me than the beetles!"

The taste of something sour came into Aikka's mouth. The very thought of him leaving his old life with G'Dar behind was… _Unimaginable_. It was almost like tearing one's soul from one's body. Torturous and vile in every conceivable way.

"NEVER!"

Princess Setsunna withdrew from him and backed off a bit, frighten by his rage.

"I- I did not mean to disturb you in…."

Aikka looked at her. She was fearful; her eyes wide like a deer awaiting death by hunter's arrow. He realized how much he had frightened her.

"I – I apologize, my Lady," he said. "For my outburst." He slowly pulled himself up fully. "But it is unwise to suggest that I would leave my mount like this. To never touch the wind and feel it's presence in my soul. That would be tantamount to clipping the wings off of a beetle."

Princess Setsunna starred at him, leaning forward. "I do not understand," she said.

Aikka sighed. "I and G'Dar have been together for as long as I remember. It may have not been voluntary like some other bondings, but I can no longer live a life without G'Dar. It seems odd that a prince should be forced into such a relationship, but then again, I have never really predicted how the relations and friendships in my life go."

Setsunna bowed her head.

"I still do not understand this bond between you and that girl."

"Maybe it is not for you to understand."

Eva sat before the black armor, hating every single inch of it. She never wanted any of this, nothing!

This is like Oban, she thought to herself. It's happening all over again like Oban.

With reluctance she stood up and sized up the armor.

"It looks like it would fit me," she said to herself.

"It sure would," said Mura, who seemed to appear behind her suddenly.

Before Eva could shout a curse, Mura placed her hands into the air and muttered a spell under her breath.

The armor flew off of the frame and all around Eva. It encased her entirely, sealing tight like a glove. Eva tried to pull it off.

"Don't bother," Mura muttered. "Besides if you want your prince to survive you would put it on."

"How dare you! You're a monster, just like Masao!"

Mura grimaced at her.

"You have no idea how far Masao would go to have his own way," she snapped, "no idea!"

Eva starred at the Nourasian girl as she moved away silently.

There might have been a sudden trick of the eye or light, but Eva could have sworn that she saw tears in Mura's eyes as she left the human alone in her cell.

**_To be continued..._**

**_Be sure to read and review this chapter and to check out my poll for a new story: .net/poll/polls_tab_?pollid=244185 Any and all votes are welcomed as well as suggestions for the new story. And I hope to update sooner._**


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